Telecom regulator suspends action on Quebec’s Bill 74

Canada’s national telecom regulator has suspended further action against Quebec’s plan to block international online gambling sites until after the issue has had its day in court.

On Friday, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced that it was suspending consideration of a challenge of Quebec’s controversial Bill 74 brought by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), a registered non-profit specializing in telecom and consumer protection issues.

PIAC objected to Quebec’s plan to compel the province’s internet service providers to block the domains of online gambling sites other than Loto-Quebec’s Espacejeux.com or select private operators that Loto-Quebec might permit to serve Quebec residents, such as the Montreal-based Amaya Gaming, the parent company of PokerStars.

Quebec’s Bill 74 is also the subject of a legal challenge in Quebec Superior Court by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), the industry group representing the nation’s telecom providers.