Q&A: Liberal MP introduces new bill to update spectrum framework, improve cell service in rural areas

It has become common for Liberal MP Marianne Dandurand (Competon-Stanstead, Que.) to be travelling through her rural eastern Quebec riding — speaking to friends, family, or constituents — and her call drops. The lack of cell service for businesses and individuals in her area drove her to introduce Bill C-268, a private member’s effort that would promote improved cellular connectivity in the country’s less-populated areas, which she tabled in the House of Commons earlier this week. In an exclusive interview with The Wire Report, Dandurand spoke about the impact of poor cell service in rural communities, her proposal to update the country’s spectrum framework, as well as why she believes C-268 has a legitimate shot of becoming law. Generally speaking, what is your private member’s bill about? It’s about connectivity, which is an issue in my riding and all around Canada. I’m chair of the rural caucus and it’s one of the things we talk most about. How can we ensure more Canadians are connected to cell phone service? Liberal MP Marianne Dandurand (handout photograph) There’s three main reasons we need to address this issue. First, it’s a matter of public safety because there are highways in my riding where you don’t have coverage. If something happens, you cannot call for help. So, we need to connect highways, as well as any numbered road. I’ve spoken to firefighters in my riding, who say that sometimes they’ll arrive at an emergency and, if they need more support, someone has to leave the location to get some signal and call another team. Another reason is economic development because we’re working really hard as a government to increase our economy. There’s a lot of initiatives related to rural areas and a lot of SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises) outside major urban centres have no cell phone connectivity. I’d be curious to know how much it costs in GDP for some of our businesses to not have access to cell service. The other reason is just equity. People who live outside urban centres should have the same cell phone service as someone who lives in a major centre. I mean, we’re in 2026, so we need to address this situation. It’s not a partisan issue and I have colleagues from every party who have talked about the fact that this is a problem in rural areas and Indigenous communities. It’s super important. So, what exactly does your bill propose? I committed during the election to work on connectivity for my region, and this private member’s bill is a tool at my disposal. There’s two parts in the bill. The first is about data because, per the CRTC, 97 per cent of Canada is connected to cell service*. Nobody agrees with that, so why does the CRTC have this data? It’s because they ask cell phone companies about the coverage they provide, but there’s no parameters. A quarter of a bar is not enough connection, so we need to set those parameters to understand what we mean by connectivity, and then we’d have a better view of the situation. When we know what’s happening, it’s going to be easier to take action. So, I’m asking for the CRTC to have better data. The other thing is the framework for spectrum has not been updated since 2007, which was the beginning of cell phone connectivity. At the time, the government thought market forces are going to make companies want to connect as many people as possible, but, 20 years later, it’s not worth it for telecom companies to connect places where nobody lives and smaller communities because the cost of infrastructure is way too high. Now, the smaller providers are doing an incredible job connecting rural areas, but they need help. Currently, there’s no incentive in the framework to connect rural areas. I want to change that mindset, so we stop thinking about market forces because we need to think about equity connecting regions. We cannot change existing spectrum licences, but there’s going to be more spectrum sold in the future. There’s not much, but, with what’s left, can we make sure it’s used to better think about the needs of regions with less population density? I think we can make this happen. There will be new technology very soon and we’re investing in this new technology. There’s going to be more satellites, and this is the right timing for me to do this type of advocacy. I know advocacy groups and special interest organizations are often pressuring MPs to use their private member’s bills to address a certain topic. Why did you determine that cell service was the most pressing issue for your riding? It’s true because there’s many things you can do and there’s so much to do. As chair of the rural caucus, there’s lots of things I’m fighting for, but this issue is very important for the rural caucus. I really felt this was a wedge issue for people in my area. There’s also a consensus because no one is going to say this is not a good idea. We’ve already done a good job with the internet. I think 99 per cent of people in Quebec are connected to high-speed internet, so now let’s do the same with cell phones. It’s going to make such a difference. It’s important to the tourism industry, the manufacturing industry, SMEs, the economic sector, and all these people tell me that we need this. I actually live in Sherbrooke, which is the sixth-largest city in Quebec. It has close to 200,000 people, and my cell phone doesn’t work in my house. Well, to tell the truth, the cell phone from Bell (BCE Inc.) for my job is not working, but the Vidéotron (Quebecor Inc.) one I have actually works. You mentioned that this is a consensus issue. Is this something you think other parties can support? Absolutely. I have spoken to people from rural areas and they’re paying attention. I don’t think it’s going to be difficult to find people to support my bill across parties. I talked to people from the Conservatives, NDP, Bloc Québécois, and Green Party. All of these people are really interested and they want to see results on connectivity. Finally, it’s often difficult for private member’s bills to become law. I saw you’re high on the priority list, but do you have any idea of the timeline for this bill to progress through Parliament? I’m number 32 right now, so I don’t know how long it’s going to take, but hopefully we’ll have second reading before the summer. Otherwise, it will come in the fall and then committee, but I think it’s going to go fast in committee. I don’t want to jinx it, but I feel kind of hopeful to have it become law by Christmas. dlegree@thewirereport.ca Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. *CRTC data suggests 99.7 per cent of Canada has cell coverage.

Q&A: Liberal MP introduces new bill to update spectrum framework, improve cell service in rural areas

Regulatory |
By Davis Legree
|March 13, 2026

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Q&A: Liberal MP introduces new bill to update spectrum framework, improve cell service in rural areas

Regulatory | By Davis Legree |March 13, 2026

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