CIRA welcomes federal Connectivity Strategy to achieve universal broadband access by 2030

New strategy outlines the government's plan to fill the gaps in Canada's internet infrastructure and ensure more Canadian households have high-speed access

OTTAWA, June 27, 2019 /CNW/ - This morning Rural Economic Development Minister Bernadette Jordan released High-Speed Access for All: Canada's Connectivity Strategy, which lays out the government's plan to ensure that 100 per cent of households have access to the CRTC's "basic" speed targets of 50Mbps download and 10Mbps upload by 2030. The strategy also promises to improve access to mobile internet access for all Canadians.

In March, the government pledged $1.7 billion to create a Universal Broadband Fund as part of Budget 2019. Today's strategy lays out how internet service providers, public institutions, and various levels of government can work together to connect 95 per cent of households to 50/10 speeds by 2026, and 100 per cent by 2030. The Connectivity Strategy was released alongside Minister Jordan's Rural Economic Development Strategy, focused on improving rural economies across Canada.

Key Facts:

• The government's Connectivity Strategy aims to connect 95 per cent of Canadian households to high speed, reliable internet services by 2026, and 100 per cent by 2030.
• High-Speed Access for All also commits to improve access to mobile wireless internet services wherever Canadians live and work, and along major roadways.
• In Budget 2019 the government dedicated $1.7B in taxpayer dollars to launch a new Universal Broadband Fund. Today's strategy informs how that money will be spent.
• The government has pledged an overall $5-6B investment in rural broadband over the next decade, which includes the $1.7B Universal Broadband Fund above, $750M CRTC broadband fund, $1B from the Canada Infrastructure Bank, and $2B in private capital.

Executive Quote:

"Internet users across the country will be happy to see the government plant a flag for universal broadband access. High quality internet service has never been more important to Canada's culture and economy, yet major gaps in high-speed access remain. We are about to release a report showing that while average download speeds have consistently grown in urban areas, they have significantly outpaced improvements in rural communities, leaving those internet users at a disadvantage. Thankfully, today's strategy lays a foundation to help address these disparities. For universal access, the goal posts are clear. Now it's up to industry, advocates, and all levels of government to help make it happen."

?Byron Holland, President and CEO, CIRA.

About CIRA

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) manages the .CA top-level domain on behalf of all Canadians. A Member-based organization, CIRA also develops and implements policies that support Canada's Internet community, and represents the .CA registry internationally. Last year CIRA released a report assessing the gaps in Canada's internet infrastructure which can be found at https://cira.ca/gaps.

SOURCE Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA)