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Note: Tuesday's live blog by Grant Robertson and Matt Hartley appears below this text

When Google Inc. told Canada's broadcast regulator a few months ago that it should keep the Internet "awesome," by avoiding the temptation to regulate new media content online, it was a sign that federal hearings beginning today would be unlike any other the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has held.

The Google advice was not the usual kind of regulatory submission the CRTC was used to, but in weighing into the unfolding debate on new media in Canada - and whether it needs to be regulated - the Internet search giant joins a diverse cast of characters going before the CRTC. Others include artists' groups such as ACTRA and the Canadian Recording Industry Association, the large television networks in Canada, Internet service providers and the National Hockey League.

Each of them have a stake in how the world of new media unfolds, and each bring different opinions on what Ottawa should do. At the heart of the matter for the CRTC is whether to impose some sort of requirement that the Internet Service Providers contribute funds to making online Canadian content. Dubbed an ISP tax, the proposal would be similar to the requirements that broadcasters contribute funds to making Canadian TV shows. Independent producers and artists groups are in favour of the idea, while the large cable and telecom companies who provide Internet service are opposed.

However, behind that argument over dollars is a philosophical debate over whether the regulator should step in and play any role in new media and the Internet. More than a decade ago, the CRTC held similar hearings and produced what it then called its "Information Highway" report which first asked the question whether the regulator should play a role in the content on the Internet. At the time, the CRTC decided to take a hands-off approach. Now, amid concerns that Canadian culture could be washed away in a borderless online world, the regulator is asking the same question again, with millions of dollars at stake.

Kicking off the hearings Tuesday morning, CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein asked a simple question that will permeate the hearings over the next two days, and in the weeks following: "Are stakeholders in this environment contributing in an appropriate manner" to Canadian content?

The hearings will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, then resume for the week of Feb. 23. They will take another week-long break and resume for the week of March 9. Globe and Mail technology reporter Matt Hartley and media reporter Grant Robertson will blog the hearings live for the first several days.