In a new ruling, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has declared that broadband internet access is now a basic telecommunications service for all Canadians.
In addition, the regulatory body has set ambitious broadband speed targets, while also creating a new fund that aims to invest up to $750 million CAD over a five-year period on top of current government internet related programs, in order to reach this mark. To meet this lofty new goal, major telecom providers, including Rogers, Bell and Telus, are required to contribute to the fund.
The legislative mandate put forward by the commission has set 50 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 10/mbps upload, as the new universal objective for fixed broadband internet access in Canada. According to the ruling, these numbers are now considered “basic telecom service” access in Canada. To put the CRTC’s internet speed goal in perspective, these numbers are 10 times the country’s existing speed targets, which are 5/mbps down and 1/mbps up. This minimum requirement was set when the CRTC last reviewed its basic service requirements in 2011.
Patrick O’Rourke – MobileSyrup – December 21, 2016.
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