The Canadian government’s attempt to regulate broadcasting over the internet has hit a serious roadblock to full implementation.

The regulator – the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) – updated the scope of consultations (there are more of them) and pushed out the timeline for implementation to late 2025 and beyond. That pushes implementation beyond the next election, which is expected no later than October next year.

The Globe and Mail’s Marie Woolf has a lengthy piece on the decision that includes criticism of the delay from culture groups and other supporters of the legislation, known as C-11.

Critics say the tangled web of regulation required to oversee the internet made delays like this inevitable. The CRTC said that it will make decisions as it consults.

Peter Menzies, a former official at the CRTC, dives into the decision in a piece for The Line.