Calgary recommends national digital strategy addressing 5G deployment

The City of Calgary says the government should develop a “modernized” national digital strategy that addresses open access infrastructure policies, municipal rights-of-way, smart city urban design and new 5G funding structures that could “address gaps and deficiencies during roll out.” “A clear, comprehensive and coherent digital strategy that aligns with federal, provincial and municipal mandates would lay a strong foundation in supporting the deployment of resources to enable 5G infrastructure, resources and service,” reads a recommendation from the city’s submission to the expert panel consulting on Canada’s telecommunications laws. It pitched that Calgary could serve as the test-case for such a strategy, noting it’s working on a pilot project for 5G deployment and that the city aims to be ready for 5G roll-out by 2020. The submission cautions the expert panel against meddling with jurisdiction over “passive infrastructure” without first creating a “cohesive strategy,” or risk slower deployment and conflict between stakeholders. “Federal, provincial and municipal strategies that align with industry requirements can offer opportunities for new governance models for passive infrastructure. In the absence of a cohesive strategy, a new governance model on passive infrastructure could cause confusion, reduce investment, create adversarial relationships and even slow 5G deployment.” The submission also says the panel should launch an “in-depth investigation of the realities of 5G deployment and the assumptions made about passive municipal infrastructure and its limits, capacities and implementation challenges to ensure the right provisions for governance are in place” before it recommends any legislative changes. It outlines a number of “misconceptions” about 5G passive infrastructure issues, including that small cell deployment largely only consists of small antenna boxes and not deploying more backhaul, and that municipal standards, compliance rules and aesthetics will become unnecessary barriers to deployment. The panel consultation had asked in its terms of reference if legislative changes are needed when it comes to governing access to passive infrastructure and jurisdictional disputes over network deployment -- in particular, access to things like poles, ducts, and rights-of-way. Telecommunications companies have pitched, at various times with increasing levels of urgency, that the CRTC should be granted greater authority over determining access terms when it comes to “passive” infrastructure. The CRTC itself argued in its panel submission that there should be one body tasked with the final say on such matters of all utilities and local authorities. That push comes amid costly pole attachment rates in Ontario and concerns about access to passive infrastructure for small cell deployment -- extending to municipal assets like bus shelters. During the expert panel review, cities and electrical utilities endorsed the status quo for infrastructure governance, amid the push for better access and attachment rates. Toronto said it won’t support any legislative changes to jurisdiction over rights-of-way if they “undermine” municipal rights. “The City cannot support a proposed legislative change that undermines municipal rights to manage highways under its jurisdiction or erodes its rights as a landowner with respect to other types of municipal property,” its submission said, without directly referring to any specific proposals. “It also cannot support legislative changes that would impose additional costs on municipal taxpayers or result in favouring one type of utility over all others by imposing special rules.” “Any contemplated changes to legislation and the framework as a whole should support and encourage a collaborative relationship between municipalities and telecommunications carriers and mitigate risks and barriers to promote competition, innovation and affordability,” Toronto’s submission said about rights-of-way. Its brief was more vague than Calgary’s, which had even recommended an amendment to sections 43 and 44 of the Telecommunications Act to “clarify the authority of municipalities to manage the corridor.”

Calgary recommends national digital strategy addressing 5G deployment

Brief | April 15, 2019

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Calgary recommends national digital strategy addressing 5G deployment

Brief | April 15, 2019

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