Auditor General finds internet connectivity lags in rural and Indigenous areas

Auditor General Karen Hogan released a quartet of reports on the government’s spending priorities Monday. One report, looking at internet connectivity, found that rural and remote regions and Indigenous reserves were woefully underserved. By 2021, the national connectivity rate was 90.9 per cent. But for rural communities, it was only 59.5 per cent. First Nations fared even worse, with a 42.9 per cent connectivity rate. “These findings emphasize the persistent digital divide for people living on First Nations reserves and in rural and remote communities, compared to people who live in urban areas,” Hogan said in a statement. “The government needs to take action so that there is affordable, high-speed connectivity coverage for Canadians in all areas of the country.” At a later news conference Hogan was critical of the rollout of broadband by the department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED). “The department considers pricing to be part of affordability but not household income,” the auditor general noted. “I find this puzzling because if the price of a service is beyond a household's means, then connectivity will not improve and some people will remain excluded.” Guide Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development, is responsible for the file.She said she welcomed the auditor general’s report but found it did not consider the gains made in the past few months. “In 2014, only 79 per cent of households had access to high-speed internet,” she said in a news release. “As a result of our actions, 93.5 per cent of homes have access today. Not only did we exceed our first goal of 90 per cent coverage by 2021, but we are also well on track to surpass our next goal of 98 per cent of homes having access by 2026.” At a news conference with other ministers, the Newfoundland and Labrador politician said rural connectivity is currently at nearly 70 per cent. For First Nations, it is hovering near 50 per cent as of now. She also pointed to the new policy direction to the CRTC announced by the government last month. This will have an impact on affordability, Hutchings maintained. The Auditor General questioned why there was still so much money left in the Universal Broadband Fund. The minister said money awarded was considered allocated long before it is actually spent. She compared it to buying a product on one’s credit card before it is actually delivered. “We have committed nearly every cent of the Universal Broadband Fund,” she told reporters. “The money doesn’t roll out the day it’s committed.”” Opposition politicians seized on the Auditor General’s study to criticize the government. “This digital divide still exists despite billions of dollars of funding announcements,” Conservative Rural Economic Development critic Dan Mazier told a news conference. “This is not a good report for all our country, especially in rural Canada.” Earlier in the day, the minister spoke at the opening of the CanWISP conference sponsored by the Canadian Association of Wireless Internet Service Providers in Gatineau, Que. In her welcoming remarks, she told delegates that there is a growing desire to move to rural areas and that internet connectivity is a vital part of that. “Connectivity shouldn’t matter on where you live,” she stated. She referred to challenges the sector has faced in the past year, including the Rogers Communications Inc. outage last July and the devastation caused by Hurricane Fiona. –Reporting by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca and editing by Jenna Cocullo at jcocullo@thewirereport.ca.

Auditor General finds internet connectivity lags in rural and Indigenous areas

News | March 27, 2023

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Auditor General finds internet connectivity lags in rural and Indigenous areas

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