A group of Canadian broadcasters are pushing the nation’s telecom regulator to establish an independent body that would have the power to order internet service providers to block the domains of certain websites.

On Monday, CANADALAND reported having obtained a draft proposal to be submitted to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) by Bell Canada on behalf of a coalition of broadcasters, movie studios and cinema operators seeking the creation of an ‘Internet Piracy Review Agency’ (IPRA).

Under this proposal, the IPRA would be allowed to blacklist offending domains without the need for a court order. The only opportunity for judicial review would come after a domain had been added to the blacklist and ISPs had begun blocking the domain.

The broadcasters’ proposal, which was hinted at earlier this year, has taken on new significance due to the ongoing negotiations over revisions to the North American Free Trade Act (NAFTA), as well as planned reviews of Canada’s Copyright Act and Telecommunications Act. However, most observers feel Bell’s proposal is likely to fall on deaf ears.