TAGGED AS RURAL BROADBAND
Connect to Innovate applicants should hear back soon: Jordan
telecom | 05/16/2019 5:16 pm EDT
OTTAWA — After details emerged last week that 60 per cent of applicants to the federal government’s Connect to Innovate (CTI) program still hadn’t been informed about whether their applications were successful, rural economic development minister Bernadette Jordan said...
Amos calls for industry committee to examine CRTC’s rural broadband role
telecom | 05/09/2019 5:46 pm EDT
OTTAWA — As the House industry committee prepares to begin a study on the state of Canada’s rural wireless infrastructure after the passage of the private member's motion M-208, the motion’s sponsor Liberal MP William Amos today told the committee that its focus should be on examining the role of the CRTC in improving rural access. “We need to engage in a dialogue with the CRTC and this committee is, I believe, the ideal organ for that dialogue to explore what more can be done,”...
60% of Connect to Innovate applicants still haven’t heard back
telecom | 05/09/2019 12:32 pm EDT
More than two years after the deadline to apply for funding through the...
New rural dev. ministry to release plans for broadband in June
telecom | 05/02/2019 6:04 pm EDT
OTTAWA — The newly-minted Ministry of Rural Economic Development will next month release its development strategy for the rural economy, detailing among other things how it plans to spend its...
CRTC cites efficiency in denying SWIFT broadband fund proposal
telecom | 04/29/2019 5:07 pm EDT
The CRTC has denied an application by SouthWestern Integrated Fibre...
Committee sets deadline for ISED reports on rural connectivity concerns
telecom | 04/12/2019 4:45 pm EDT
The House public accounts committee is ordering Innovation Canada to...
Bell opts out of 600 MHz, Rogers nabs 52 licenses for $1.7B
telecom | 04/10/2019 5:30 pm EDT
BCE Inc. was among three prospective applicants who didn’t grab licenses for the coveted 600 MHz spectrum, widely considered to be the last chance to get valuable low-band frequencies. The results of the auction were released late Wednesday afternoon. Among the winners were Rogers Communications Inc., Telus Corp., Shaw Communications Inc., Quebecor Inc., Xplornet Communications Inc., Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp., Iristel Inc., TBayTel Inc., and Bragg Communications Inc. Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains said in a phone interview he was “very happy with the outcome,...
ISPs shouldn’t need government funding for rural builds, senator says
telecom | 04/04/2019 5:53 pm EDT
OTTAWA — Conservative New Brunswick senator Carolyn Stewart Olsen said...
Xplornet launching new unlimited data plans
telecom | 04/02/2019 5:41 pm EDT
Xplornet Communications Inc. is now offering unlimited internet service plans across the country for...
AG’s report was ‘opportunity to brag’ about projects: ISED
telecom | 03/27/2019 6:08 pm EDT
GATINEAU, Que. — Innovation Canada did not take a critical report of its...
Broadband Fund applications call expected for late spring or early summer
telecom | 03/27/2019 10:56 am EDT
GATINEAU, Que. — The CRTC is looking at a “late spring, early summer”...
New 2030 speed target too far away for rural Canada: NDP critic
telecom | 03/22/2019 11:25 am EDT
OTTAWA — NDP industry critic Brian Masse says the new broadband strategy...
All Canadian households will have 50/10 speeds by 2030: Morneau
Media | 03/19/2019 4:03 pm EDT
OTTAWA — The Liberal government is announcing $1.7 billion in new rural...
Rural broadband, new tax rules among industry pre-budget asks
Media | 03/15/2019 5:55 pm EDT
As the Liberal government unveils its last budget before the upcoming...
ISED confirms work on releasing more specific broadband mapping data
telecom | 02/28/2019 3:45 pm EST
There is “general interest” at Innovation Canada in releasing more...
Flaws in rural broadband funding hot topic in telecom law review
telecom | 02/25/2019 12:41 pm EST
Rural broadband funding programs in Canada suffer from “significant” design flaws that have in some cases put investments by small providers on hold, a regional broadband group is warning -- one of a number of submissions to the ongoing review of Canada’s...
Rural broadband spending should be priority in next budget: NDP MP
telecom | 02/21/2019 6:49 pm EST
Parliamentarians who stuck around the House of Commons for a Wednesday evening debate on a Liberal motion to take a hard look at Canada’s rural broadband gap said spending on underserved areas must...
‘We did not cut it’: Scott defends broadband fund speed target to MPs
telecom | 02/21/2019 3:44 pm EST
CRTC Chairman Ian Scott defended the eligibility speeds for the...
CRTC consulting on broadband fund application guide
telecom | 02/14/2019 4:53 pm EST
The CRTC has released an application guide for its $750-million rural broadband fund and is asking for comments on the preliminary document. The guide is meant to help applicants put together and submit their funding...
ITPA pitches ‘sustainability component’ for rural broadband programs
telecom | 02/13/2019 4:38 pm EST
The government should create a “sustainability component” to rural broadband funding projects so they don’t dwindle in quality or eventually fail, according to an association representing...
Stick to hexagons for broadband fund, PIAC and telecoms tell CRTC
telecom | 02/13/2019 3:07 pm EST
An application to relax eligibility requirements for the CRTC’s $750-million rural broadband fund is drawing support from a number of rural municipalities and opposition...
Bell grows fixed wireless plans by 400,000 homes
telecom | 02/07/2019 3:26 pm EST
BCE Inc. says it will grow its rural fixed-wireless plans by 50 per cent, thanks to new tax measures the Liberal government announced last fall aimed at promoting investments in rural areas. Company CEO George Cope announced...
ISED expects most Connect to Innovate agreements will be signed by April
telecom | 01/31/2019 4:18 pm EST
Only about $30 million has made it out the door so far from the Liberal government’s $500 million Connect to Innovate fund that was announced in the 2016 budget, according to documents tabled this...
Bernadette Jordan tasked to ‘lead work’ to improve rural broadband
telecom | 01/29/2019 12:56 pm EST
The Prime Minister’s Office has made public the mandate letter for the...
Innovation, rural development ministers get new parlsecs
telecom | 01/29/2019 12:38 pm EST
Quebec MP Rémi Massé will replace David Lametti as the parliamentary...
Platforms could pull out of Canadian market if regulated: Google
Media | 01/16/2019 2:17 pm EST
Alphabet Inc.’s Google already contributes to the Canadian creative...
Rural spectrum for backhaul should be cheaper than urban: telecoms
telecom | 01/14/2019 4:09 pm EST
Telecom companies are largely supportive of Innovation Canada’s efforts to update how it sets licence fees for point-to-point systems, though some are calling for that process to be sped up and...
New rural development minister to tackle broadband availability
telecom | 01/14/2019 2:33 pm EST
After the auditor general blasted the government for not having a clear...
SWIFT asks CRTC to review rural broadband fund eligibility
telecom | 12/20/2018 11:22 am EST
The SouthWestern Integrated Fibre Technology Inc. (SWIFT) project is...
Small ISPs welcome ISED consults for fifth tier spectrum licensing area
telecom | 11/29/2018 4:48 pm EST
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has launched a consultation on a newly proposed category of smaller service areas for spectrum licensing, a moved...
Feds pledge faster fibre cost recovery for telecoms
telecom | 11/21/2018 6:00 pm EST
The federal government’s fall economic update includes a faster way for telecoms to recover a bigger portion of their investment costs in fibre deployment, which it hopes will spur broadband connectivity in rural areas. The...
ISED said it will do its ‘darndest’ for rural in face of 3.5 GHz clawback
telecom | 11/20/2018 2:49 pm EST
OTTAWA — Innovation Canada deputy minister John Knubley said his...
AG finds flaws in rural connectivity funding, spectrum auction process
telecom | 11/20/2018 10:23 am EST
OTTAWA — The federal government has been lagging behind on rural...
Indigenous ISP lobbies to get piece of allocated fed funds
telecom | 11/14/2018 6:19 pm EST
An indigenous telecom vying for federal support to provide Northern Manitoba communities with fibre internet is trying to claim a share of Innovation Canada money announced in January, following a...
Cheaper wireless plans lowered telecom service prices in 2017: CRTC
telecom | 11/06/2018 12:50 pm EST
Wireless prices drove overall average monthly communication service pricing down 1.6 per cent in 2017 compared to the year prior, according to the pricing installment of the CRTC’s latest Communications Monitoring Report. The average price for the four services on offer — wireless, television, wireline telephone, and internet — was $207 last year. Those lower prices were reflected mainly in plans with unlimited voice and text and 5 GB of data, the CRTC said in the pricing part of the...
Lack of infrastructure, bylaws challenges for remote connectivity
telecom | 11/05/2018 7:28 pm EST
TORONTO — Remote communities looking to build internet as an essential...
Ontario, Saskatchewan didn’t agree to ISED broadband strategy
telecom | 10/29/2018 5:45 pm EDT
Last week, ministers of innovation and economic development from three...
Municipalities requesting $4B for rural broadband, mobile access target
telecom | 10/25/2018 5:56 pm EDT
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...
Ensure ISPs don’t have to contribute money to CanCon: CCSA
Media | 10/23/2018 4:33 pm EDT
The Canadian Communications Systems Alliance (CCSA) is asking the Senate...
Data gaps a connectivity issue for indigenous communities
telecom | 10/12/2018 6:05 pm EDT
Organizations working on mapping internet connectivity issues in rural and remote communities are being encouraged to take their work further to bridge a gap that some indigenous community...
Bandwidth pressures a concern for indigenous ISPs
telecom | 10/11/2018 5:43 pm EDT
Internet service providers (ISPs) in rural and remote communities are trying to keep up with the appetite...
CRTC should have oversight over utility poles: telecoms
telecom | 10/03/2018 5:35 pm EDT
Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. are both asking the...
Small ISPs ‘optimistic’ about CRTC broadband fund
telecom | 09/28/2018 4:58 pm EDT
A CRTC decision outlining how its $750 million fund for rural broadband will be administered “looks quite encouraging,” according to the president of the Canadian Network Operators’ Consortium (CNOC). Matt Stein said in a...
CRTC rural broadband fund speed targets draw criticism
telecom | 09/27/2018 5:51 pm EDT
The CRTC revealed Thursday the details of the $750 million rural broadband fund that’s been in the works for nearly two years, prompting criticism from some groups concerned about what they say are low speed criteria. “We are disappointed that the fund initially allows for speeds that are half of the CRTC’s Basic Service Objective target of 50Mbps download and 10Mbps upload,” Byron Holland, president and CEO of the Canadian Internet Registration Authority said in a press release. “We encourage applicants to strive to meet these targets to ensure Canadians have access to quality of...
Senators asked to champion net neutrality in comms laws review
Media | 09/18/2018 6:38 pm EDT
OTTAWA -- Lawmakers need to make net neutrality a major priority and...
Northwestel boosting speeds threefold in October
telecom | 09/17/2018 5:00 pm EDT
BCE Inc.’s Northwestel says it will begin providing internet service at speeds three times as fast as...
90% of Quebecers to have 100 Mbps internet by 2020, PLQ pledges
telecom | 09/04/2018 5:38 pm EDT
Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) leader Philippe Couillard is promising more than...
Fibre connections coming to Quebec’s far north
telecom | 08/22/2018 5:39 pm EDT
With $125.2 million in funds from the Connect to Innovate program and the Quebec government, the Kativik...
New basic service standards not ‘possible’ in the North: Northwestel
telecom | 08/17/2018 5:45 pm EDT
BCE Inc.’s Northwestel is claiming that due to long distances in its coverage area — and the physics of the speed of light — new CRTC network quality standards are not...
ISED OKs Shaw, Bell spectrum transfer in the North
telecom | 08/10/2018 12:41 pm EDT
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has approved a number of spectrum licence transfers between Shaw Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. ISED said in a pair of decisions that it has OKed the transfer of 11...
Xplornet announces more ‘5G ready’ network expansion
telecom | 08/07/2018 5:26 pm EDT
Xplornet Communications Inc. plans to introduce “5G-ready Internet...
New Connect to Innovate projects in Ontario, Quebec
Media | 08/03/2018 3:06 pm EDT
The federal government announced more rural and remote internet funding for the Îles-de-la-Madeleine,...
More targeted data critical to bridge rural broadband divide
telecom | 08/03/2018 9:28 am EDT
Matt Rapke doesn’t need a map to figure out that identifying...
Bell targeting more rural markets with fixed wireless expansion
telecom | 08/02/2018 4:58 pm EDT
BCE Inc. will grow its presence in the fixed wireless space to 30...
LEO projects promise rural, remote broadband in just a few years
telecom | 07/27/2018 3:16 pm EDT
Three years after a number of big companies first announced they would...
Telesat launches satellite said to improve Nunavut internet speeds
telecom | 07/23/2018 2:58 pm EDT
Telesat Holdings Inc. said Monday that the launch of its new Telstar 19...
Xplornet lobby blitz fights 3.5 GHz clawback proposal
telecom | 07/23/2018 10:16 am EDT
Xplornet Communications Inc. will not be able to service thousands of its rural customers with...
SWIFT opens first project for bids
telecom | 07/13/2018 2:47 pm EDT
The SouthWestern Integrated Fibre Technology Inc.(SWIFT) project launched its first request for proposals, it said in a press release Friday.
“The RFP to serve the Delaware Nation at Moraviantown is the first bidding opportunity for local network construction to be...
Northwestel on track to complete modernization plan: CRTC
telecom | 07/09/2018 6:08 pm EDT
BCE Inc.’s Northwestel is on its way to successfully completing its...
Bell awarded SuperNet contract, to buy Axia in Alberta
telecom | 07/04/2018 10:32 am EDT
BCE Inc. will take over the operation of the entire SuperNet network in...
ISED points to existing programs in response to rural broadband report
telecom | 06/21/2018 5:45 pm EDT
The government has responded to a House industry committee report that, among other recommendations, said the government should tackle the problem of rural broadband access in Canada and called for...
ISED funding 777-km fibre line in Northern Canada
telecom | 06/21/2018 2:34 pm EDT
Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) is putting $30 million from its Connect to Innovate program toward a 777 kilometre-long fibre cable that will improve internet connectivity for residents in Yukon, the Northwest...
Ice Wireless hooking up remote Quebec communities with cell service
telecom | 05/29/2018 5:56 pm EDT
Ice Wireless, a subsidiary of Iristel Inc., is partnering with a regional Quebec government to deliver cellular and data services for the first time in a remote area of...
$23.3M to improve telecom network in eastern Quebec
telecom | 05/25/2018 4:18 pm EDT
Innovation Canada is allocating $11.05 million from its Connect to Innovate program to improve telecom services in the Basse-Côte-Nord region. The Quebec government will contribute an equal amount and Telus Corp., who will...
Project to upgrade connectivity in all NWT communities completed
telecom | 05/16/2018 5:51 pm EDT
Each of the 33 communities in the Northwest Territories (NWT) now has...
Connect to Innovate directing $17M to Nova Scotia
telecom | 05/04/2018 4:23 pm EDT
The federal government will chip in $17 million of its $500-million Connect to Innovate fund to “bring high-speed Internet access or faster Internet” to 64 communities and up to 80 institutions in Nova Scotia. It said in a...
Report calls for ‘larger role’ for small rural broadband players
telecom | 04/17/2018 5:40 pm EDT
OTTAWA — The House of Commons standing committee on industry, science and...
Equipment developer to get $11.5M loan for satellite broadband
telecom | 04/11/2018 5:38 pm EDT
A Montreal-based satellite network company will receive $11.5 million of...
Northern Ontario community to get funds for internet infrastructure
telecom | 04/10/2018 5:10 pm EDT
The federal government announced money towards the construction of internet backbone infrastructure in a Northern Ontario Indigenous community Tuesday. The feds will use $1.03 million from the...
Spectrum auction complexity barrier for fixed wireless providers: Nordicity
telecom | 03/29/2018 4:35 pm EDT
OTTAWA — Complex auction and government subsidy application processes are...
Federal gov’t chipping in $17M for high-speed connections in Alberta
telecom | 03/15/2018 5:11 pm EDT
Organizations in Alberta will receive $22.5 million in federal and private...
New promise for fixed wireless, as telecoms incorporate LTE, 5G
telecom | 03/15/2018 2:12 pm EDT
Advances in fixed wireless technology could make it a more viable option for helping solve Canada’s rural broadband problem, while marrying fixed wireless with 5G shows promise for connecting city-dwellers, according to the companies deploying the service.
Finding a...
Fibre backbone, last mile projects in rural B.C. getting $38M in funding
telecom | 03/14/2018 12:57 pm EDT
Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada announced an additional $38 million of funding for rural broadband in British Columbia in a release on Tuesday. The funding is on top of...
Cybersecurity, LEO satellites, data on OTT services in federal budget
Media | 02/27/2018 4:21 pm EST
OTTAWA — The 2018 federal budget, released Tuesday afternoon, includes...
Bell, Huawei test 5G tech for fixed wireless in rural Ontario
telecom | 02/27/2018 3:50 pm EST
BCE Inc. and Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. have successfully tested fixed wireless technology that uses Huawei's 5G tech in rural parts of Southwestern Ontario, according to a Tuesday press release....
SWIFT takes fibre goals to the Hill
Media | 02/21/2018 5:57 pm EST
Over six years after it was established, a government-funded non-profit initiative seeking to deliver...
CRTC declines review request on internet affordability
telecom | 01/25/2018 5:14 pm EST
In a Thursday decision, the CRTC denied an effort by a collection of public advocacy groups that sought to have the regulatory body take a firmer stance on affordability of internet access.
The coalition, comprised of five advocacy groups — the Public Interest Advocacy...
Distributel teams up with Eeyou network on northern Quebec service
telecom | 01/17/2018 4:01 pm EST
A Cree-owned non-profit will partner with Distributel Communications Ltd....
Coastal B.C. communities to get $45M toward better internet
telecom | 01/17/2018 3:01 pm EST
The federal government will plow a large chunk of a $45.4-million investment for high-speed internet along coastal British Columbia, including remote and First Nations communities, according to a...
Wireless coverage improvements coming to site of G7 summit
telecom | 01/16/2018 4:09 pm EST
In anticipation of the G7 summit in June, the federal government will have 13 cell towers built to increase coverage for the area near host Charlevoix, Que, a release on Monday revealed. Announced...
$43.7M in Connect to Innovate funds allocated for Manitoba
telecom | 01/09/2018 5:06 pm EST
The federal government will spend $38.5 million of its $500 million of...
$24.8M from Connect to Innovate to go to N.L.
telecom | 01/03/2018 12:44 pm EST
The federal government will allocate $24.8 million from its Connect to Innovate program to improve...
Prioritize 3.5 GHz band for 5G: Telus
telecom | 12/15/2017 2:30 pm EST
Telus Corp. said in a press release Friday its ongoing 5G tests have now hit 2 Gbps speeds, using 3.5 GHz spectrum. The Vancouver-based company said in the release the tests, which took place in Edmonton, “help to...
Quebec digital strategy aims for 90% to have 100 Mbps speeds
telecom | 12/14/2017 5:46 pm EST
Quebec unveiled a five-year digital strategy Wednesday, which included...
BPF registers to lobby amidst consumer group funding concerns
Media | 12/14/2017 2:25 pm EST
A few months after the emergence of a proposal asking the CRTC to shift...
House committee recommends rural broadband spending
telecom | 12/11/2017 5:10 pm EST
The House of Commons standing committee on finance presented its budgetary policy report Friday, which included a recommendation for funding to ensure high-speed internet is available across Canada. Recommendation 89 in the report read: “Allocate the funds necessary to reach full coverage of high-speed internet service across Canada.” In a release on Monday, the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance (CCSA), one of the groups which submitted proposals to the committee, praised the decision to include the recommendation. “The committee’s recommendations are absolutely a step in the...
Over $24M in internet funding allocated to 26 Que. communities
telecom | 12/01/2017 4:08 pm EST
Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada announced the allocation of funding to connect over 12,000 homes across 26 communities in Quebec with high-speed internet infrastructure, it...
Telesat loses LEO satellite after launch
telecom | 11/28/2017 6:15 pm EST
Ottawa-based Telesat Holdings Inc. announced the loss of the first in an initial constellation of low...
Rural broadband costs to become clearer early next year: ISED
telecom | 11/23/2017 6:53 pm EST
OTTAWA — Despite already surpassing their target to connect some rural...
$290M allocated for internet infrastructure in rural Quebec
telecom | 11/20/2017 5:26 pm EST
In a press release on Monday, Innovation, Science and Economic Development...
Xplornet turns on LTE in Newfoundland communities
telecom | 11/16/2017 2:41 pm EST
Rural internet provider Xplornet Communications Inc. has expanded its fixed wireless network in Newfoundland to support faster download and upload speeds, according to a press release on Tuesday.
Mobile users living in the rural regions around St. John's and Corner Brook,...
Facilities ownership key to competition, ISP conference hears
telecom | 11/06/2017 7:37 pm EST
TORONTO — Owning fibre facilities is the primary way to drive...
Paul Thompson new ISED associate deputy minister
telecom | 10/27/2017 4:54 pm EDT
Paul Thompson has been named the new associate deputy minister of Innovation, Science and Economic...
For ‘acceptable’ internet, look beyond speed, House study told
telecom | 10/25/2017 5:35 pm EDT
As the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and...
Connect to Innovate allocates another $4M for Northern Ontario
telecom | 10/10/2017 6:16 pm EDT
Six Northern Ontario communities will receive $4.03 million under the federal government’s Connect to Innovate fund, according to a Tuesday press release. BCE Inc. will be the main recipient of...
Ring of Fire to get $69 million for broadband infrastructure
telecom | 10/06/2017 5:02 pm EDT
A $69.2-million investment toward high-speed internet in the Ring of Fire...
CanCon, affordability, competition in CRTC mandate letter
Media | 09/29/2017 1:01 pm EDT
Promoting Canadian content and supporting creators, service affordability and encouraging competition and investment by companies are among the priorities outlined in the federal government’s...
Nunavut to get 15 Mbps internet speeds: Northwestel
telecom | 09/19/2017 2:50 pm EDT
Following funding from the government’s Connect to Innovate program, Nunavut residents will see their...
Regulatory rejigs, cultural changes in store as Parliament resumes
Media | 09/18/2017 1:56 pm EDT
Everything old is new again when it comes to telecom and media issues...
Kelly Gillis leaving ISED
telecom | 09/14/2017 4:46 pm EDT
Kelly Gillis, the associate deputy minister at Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada, has been appointed as deputy minister at Infrastructure Canada, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
In a Thursday release outlining changes to the senior ranks of the public service, Gillis will replace Jean-Francois Tremblay as of Sept. 25, when he leaves to become deputy minister of Indigenous Services.
According to her attached biography, Gillis has served in her role at ISED since January 2015 and...