Canada's telecom regulator has announced that broadband internet should be "a basic telecommunication service for all Canadians." Earlier, only landline telephone service had this designation. Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission noted that this goal would require a huge amount of investment.
The government has created a new fund to extend broadband connection to rural and remote areas. The fund was created by re-allocating some of the current subsidies from voice services to broadband. CRTC chair Jean-Pierre Blais stated that "The future of our economy, our prosperity and our society - indeed, the future of every citizen - requires us to set ambitious goals, and to get on with connecting all Canadians for the 21st century."
The commission has also set download and upload speed targets. All citizens should have access to unlimited data with minimum 50 megabits per second download speed and 10 megabits per second upload speed, in case of fixed broadband services.
The commission also focused on accessibility issues. It is reported that 18 percent of Canada's population currently do not have access to their desired speeds. The new C$750 million fund will be used to create infrastructure to combating this issue. The commission expects that 90 percent of all Canadians will have access to new standard speeds by 2021.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also made access to digital services an important part of his plan. The plan is now being considered by various telecom companies. These companies will be able to access the fund for this purpose.
Rogers Communication said that the new plan is encouraging. The company also stated that it already offers unlimited data and speeds faster than the ones envisioned under the new scheme.
The commission emphasized that the timely execution of the plan is of utmost importance. It also stated that the country cannot depend on market forces to solve these concerns.