Canada's telecom regulator yesterday declared that broadband Internet must be considered "a basic telecommunications service for all Canadians" and created a fund to connect rural and remote communities. With this decision, high-speed broadband is now treated as an essential technology similar to voice service.
All Canadians should be able to purchase home Internet with 50Mbps download speeds and 10Mbps uploads, and they should have the option of purchasing unlimited data, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announcement said. A new fund will make $750 million available over the next five years to support projects in areas where that level of broadband isn't available.
Money will be distributed to applicants based upon a competitive process. Funding can be used either for fixed broadband service or to upgrade mobile networks, but the goals of 50Mbps/10Mbps and unlimited data for all is specifically for home Internet service. About 10 percent will be allocated to communities that are dependent on satellite access.
Currently, about 18 percent of Canadians, representing 2 million households, don't have access to 50Mbps/10Mbps service. "The CRTC's goal is to reduce that to 10 per cent by 2021 and down to zero in the next 10 to 15 years," a CBC article said.
This sort of thing is why I have so much affection for Canada.
(Score: 2) by dry on Sunday December 25 2016, @04:04AM
I'm also not far from Trumpland, perhaps 40 miles east of Vancouver and all I can do is dream of even 5/1 as I post on my $38 (I see it's gone up again as well as call display is now $9 a month, bastards) 26.4 kb/s dial up connection. Be nice to be able to get Satellite (hiding behind a hill) and I dream of having working cell service. Worst is that Telus announced they're dropping dial-up on Nov 16th due to not being able to get equipment (it's still working for now), so soon I'll be in a worst position (at home) then the average person in Nunavut while be easily able to commute to Vancouver.