The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission granted Google a five-year exemption from the Online News Act and ordered it to release 100 million dollars it currently owes to Canadian news outlets within 60 days.

Google agreed last year to pay 100 million dollars to Canadian news publishers annually, adjusted for inflation, in exchange for the exemption from the law that requires tech companies to enter into agreements with news publishers to pay for the content republished on their platforms.

The Canadian journalism group has been tasked with distributing the funds to media outlets.

The CRTC, in its decision on Monday, stated that it believes Google has met the exemption requirements but added conditions including that it must allow more news companies to join the group.

Stating that "after reviewing the public record, the CRTC grants Google a five-year exemption. Google must pay 100 million dollars to the (Canadian Press Association) within 60 days of this decision."

The CRTC said in a press release that it will then distribute the funds fairly to eligible Canadian news organizations.

News Media Canada, which represents hundreds of publishers, stated that it is "very pleased" with the CRTC's decision.

Group President and CEO Paul Deegan said: "The Online News Act is a world-leading regulatory framework addressing the significant imbalance in bargaining power between platforms and publishers when it comes to licensing content."

He said the time has come for Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to follow in Google's footsteps.

Deegan said: "We now call on Meta, whose platforms are more valuable by virtue of the real news produced by real journalists, to follow Google’s socially responsible lead."

The Canadian journalism group submitted plans for its management structure to the CRTC in July.