Ministry was shooting for telecom spending status quo: report

The new government's first financial plan is set to be revealed March 22, but a Treasury Board report tabled this week in the House of Commons gives a glimpse at where the government department handing telecommunications policy was planning to go. According to the Treasury Board of Canada, the numbers presented in the 2016-17 Reports on Plans and Priorities released Monday form the "baseline against which organizations track and report on their year-end performance," which is detailed in a subsequent report. That baseline for the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development's spectrum, telecommunications and digital economy program doesn't stray too far from that of previous years, with an estimate of $106.3 million in spending for the coming fiscal year. Estimates for the previous fiscal year totalled $109.8 million, while 2014-15 spending was estimated at $114.1 million. Actual spending in 2014-15 was $123.6 million. Though spending was estimated to decrease, the department's benchmarks mirrored those of previous years, including reaching $8 billion in annual investment by telecommunications providers and covering 80 per cent of the population with broadband subscriptions. A projected $14.5 million was said to be required for meeting spectrum and telecommunications policy goals, such as developing regulations on data breach reporting requirements that support changes made last year to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), the report said. The department is shooting for holding three consultations "on the development and implementation of the Government of Canada's spectrum and telecommunications priorities," which is down from the 10 benchmarked the previous year. The ministry set a 2.5-year time frame for having 750 MHz of spectrum available for commercial use. About $59.5 million was projected for spectrum management and regulation work, which includes continuing its joint process with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to "repurpose the 600 MHz spectrum band from broadcasting to commercial mobile services." The department was also independently working on a transition plan for Canadian secondary users of the 600 MHz band, the report said. The government is going to "better align" the budget and estimates process to make the planning and tracking of spending "more timely and transparent," said a press release from the Treasury Board.

Ministry was shooting for telecom spending status quo: report

Brief | March 8, 2016

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Ministry was shooting for telecom spending status quo: report

Brief | March 8, 2016

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