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Cover of High-Speed Access for All: Canada's Connectivity Strategy

Government of Canada Launches Connectivity Strategy

June 27, 2019

On June 27, Bernadette Jordan, Canada’s Minister of Rural Economic Development, released High-Speed Access for All: Canada’s Connectivity Strategy, the Government’s plan to ensure that all Canadians have access to affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet, no matter where they live.

The Connectivity Strategy is aligned with the Government’s Rural Economic Development Strategy, recognizing that high-speed Internet access is essential for rural and remote Canadians to thrive in the digital economy.

The Connectivity Strategy focuses on three areas:

  • High-Speed Access for All
  • Investing for Impact
  • Partnering for Progress

1. High-Speed Access for All

The Government of Canada will work with partners to achieve universal 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload speeds for all Canadians and improve access to the latest mobile wireless services where Canadians live and work, and along highways and major roads.

The Government will:

  • Consider the scalability of our investments toward increased speeds, e.g., up to 1 Gbps speeds where possible.
  • Leverage different technologies based on suitability and context.
  • Consider the needs of different users including Indigenous communities, businesses and public institutions during planning, program design and project selection.
  • Consider the affordability of service to the end user.
  • Recognize the importance of resiliency, reliability and low latency of network connections.

2. Investing for Impact

The Government is:

  • Investing $1.7 billion in new funding for broadband infrastructure. This includes a new Universal Broadband Fund to support broadband projects across the country. It also includes a top-up for the successful Connect to Innovate program, support for low-Earth orbit satellite capacity and two new Statistics Canada surveys to measure broadband usage.
  • Supporting broadband projects through the $2 billion Rural and Northern Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure program.
  • Extending broadband infrastructure through the CRTC’s newly announced $750 million Broadband Fund.
  • Supporting connectivity projects through the Canada Infrastructure Bank, which will seek to invest $1 billion over the next 10 years, and leverage at least $2 billion in additional private sector investment.
  • Using the Accelerated Investment Incentive to encourage Internet service providers to invest in high-speed connectivity across the country.

The Government is targeting areas where the markets are not working and bringing a range of complementary tools to bear to ensure investments are maximized.

The Government will:

  • Provide a stable and predictable timeline for broadband investments to help all partners in the Strategy maximize their resources and plan accordingly, and formalize additional partnerships where opportunity permits.
  • Target investments to unserved and underserved areas where there is limited private sector business case for investment.
  • Minimize overlap with other investments, including those from other partners.
  • Consider open access provisions to maximize benefit from public investments and promote affordability.
  • Review the policies and regulatory frameworks led by ISED and the CRTC within their respective jurisdictions on antenna towers and support structures.
  • Consider advice from the forthcoming review of communications legislation as to whether legislative changes are warranted to improve access to infrastructure.
  • Raise awareness among infrastructure stakeholders of the importance of access to passive infrastructure.
  • Continue to make spectrum available for the various services that offer connectivity to Canadians living in rural and remote areas.
  • Develop and administer licensing frameworks that: 1) facilitate access to spectrum, 2) prepare for next generation satellites, and 3) consider new approaches that will support and encourage service provision in rural and remote areas. These policies will be developed in a transparent manner through consultation.

3. Partnering for Progress

The Government will:

  • Continue to engage with Canadians, provinces and territories, the private sector, non-profit organizations, municipalities and Indigenous communities to support connectivity and broadband investments.
  • Support municipalities in developing broadband infrastructure.
  • Reduce administrative burden and increase effectiveness by working with partners to align application requirements where possible, and improve information and guidance on how to access funding.
  • Ensure strong internal governance and accountability.
  • Share broadband data and link relevant datasets, while respecting confidentiality and related provisions concerning stewardship of data.
  • Launch a web portal that will host the Strategy, other Government of Canada connectivity initiatives and coverage information.
  • Establish an expanded Centre of Expertise to improve broadband coordination.

(Via Infrastructure Canada)

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