Municipalities requesting $4B for rural broadband, mobile access target

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) is asking the federal government to plow $4 billion over 10 years into filling a rural broadband gap they say leaves about two million Canadians without reliable fixed or mobile internet. Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) has already committed $500 million over five years for its Connect to Innovate (CTI) program, whose mandate is to bridge that divide, and the CRTC has also carved out $750 million for a dedicated broadband fund, but the FCM said these measures need to go further. In a release Thursday, the local government representative, which has nearly 2,000 members comprising 90 per cent of the population, said the government will need to invest $400 million per year over a decade to “drive progress.” When ISED first sought projects for the CTI program, it received 900 applications asking for a total of $4.4 billion. “Achieving truly universal broadband and mobile access requires even stronger federal leadership,” the release said. The CRTC set a fixed internet goal of 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload in its basic services decision in late 2016. Out of that decision, it also established the $750-million fund to improve wireless and wireline service in underserved communities. The CRTC recently detailed the fund’s speed goals, which sets the minimum download speeds at 25 Mbps. As part of its three-pronged strategy, the FCM said it wants “clear standards and timelines” with regard to the CRTC’s 50/10 thresholds, as well as a new target for rural mobile access. The other two pillars of the proposed plan are that the government devise predictable long-term funding for fixed and mobile internet in rural, remote and northern communities “so local governments can plan for reliable service,” and affordable and accessible internet that matches those in big cities in those areas. The FCM claims in the release that 13 per cent of rural households with internet can’t access 5 Mbps download speeds, 39 per cent of rural communities say they don’t have download speeds between 25 and 50 Mbps, and 78 per cent of households can’t access 50 Mbps download. The organization didn't provide a source for those statistics.

Municipalities requesting $4B for rural broadband, mobile access target

Brief | October 25, 2018

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Municipalities requesting $4B for rural broadband, mobile access target

Brief | October 25, 2018

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