Mike's Minute: Paul Goldsmith cannot regulate the internet

Tell me how Broadcasting Minister Paul Goldsmith is going to sort the unsortable?

The Broadcasting Standards Authority has, deliberately or not, opened a box of whoopee that is playing out all over the world in various forms.

In simple terms regulators are trying to work out how to control tech.

The problem with regulators is their jurisdiction is limited. The problem with tech is there is no border.

The same way a Government isn't going to charge a tech company for nicking news and putting it on their websites, a broadcasting watchdog is not going to control Joe Rogan.

The Prime Minister has already worked this out and said so Monday. But then the Broadcasting Minister, in that ponderous sort of surprise-ladened fashion that is unique to Goldsmith, started wondering out loud why the Herald NOW stream wasn’t regulated while breakfast television was.

That of course is the simple version of the problem. You are only dealing with the difference in transmission mode - terrestrial vs the internet.

Next issue - if you are regulating the internet, what internet? Where does it stop and start? Local streaming? What is local streaming? If you are protecting an audience, surely you have to protect them universally? And yet you can't.

Even if Goldsmith argues the line that things that look like radio or look like TV are captured, what if the radio consumed in New Zealand originates in London?

Next problem - if you regulate the internet, where does that stop and start?

Does a podcast look like radio? What about short form vs long form? What about local content on TikTok and, if so, why not all content on TikTok.

Answer: because you can't.

And if you can't, how is it fair to regulate my TikTok but not Piers Morgan's?

Talk about a horse and bolting.

Governments look old world. They look “AM” in an "FM" world. They look like they are trying to save letters from the internet.

They look like control freaks who don’t know how to save their powers.

Rightly or wrongly making me adhere to rules while every half-baked weirdo on the net gets to say whatever they like is the cold, hard reality of the here and now.

Save yourself the time and the headache and give it up.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Tell me how Paul Goldsmith, Broadcasting Minister, is going to
sort the unsortable. So the Broadcasting Standards Authority, as I'm
sure you're well aware, deliberately or not opened a box
of whoopee. Basically that's been played out all over the
world and various forms. So in simple terms, regulators are
trying to work out how to control tech. The problem
with regulators is their jurisdictions. Limited problem with tech is

(00:21):
there is no boundary, There is no boarder. The same
way government isn't going to charge a tech company for
nicking news and putting it on their websites. Broadcasting Watchdog
is not going to control Joe Rogan. The Prime Minister's
already worked all this out, of course, and he said
so last Monday. But then the Broadcasting Minister and that
ponderous sort of surprise laid in fashion that's unique for
Paul Goldsmith started wondering out loud why the Herald Now

(00:42):
stream wasn't regulated while breakfast television was. That, of course,
is the simple version of the problem. You're only dealing
with the difference in transmission mode i e. Terrestrial via
the net. Next issue, if you're regulating the net, what net,
where's it stop and start local streaming? What's local streaming?
If you're protecting an audience, surely you have to protect
them universally, And yet you can't. Even if Goldsmith argues

(01:05):
the line that things that look like radio or look
like television are captured. What are the radio consumed in
New Zealand originates in London? Next problem? If you regulate
the net, where does that start and stop? Does a
podcast look like radio? What about short firm versus form
versus long form? What about local content on TikTok? And
if so, why not all content on TikTok? Answer? Because

(01:28):
you can't. And if you can't, how's it fear to
regulate my TikTok? But not Piers Morgan's talk about a
horse and bolting. Government looks old world, don't they. They
look sort of am in an FM world. They look
like they're trying to save letters from the Internet. They
look like control freaks who don't know how to save
their own powers right or wrong, making me adhere to
rules while every half baked weirdo on the net gets

(01:48):
to say whatever they like as the cold hard reality
of the hero and now save yourself the time and
the headache and give it up. For more from the
mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news talks it'd be
from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio