Question Period Note: RURAL AND REMOTE BROADBAND

What is the Government of Canada doing to support the development of high-speed Internet in rural and remote areas?

• Connectivity is essential for rural and remote communities –
enabling access to the digital economy, essential services, educational opportunities, and remote work.

• The Government of Canada is working hard to help ensure all Canadians have access to fast, reliable, and affordable Internet.

• With $3.2 billion dedicated to the Universal Broadband Fund, the government is making significant progress towards its connectivity targets.

• The government continues to invest in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities to reach its goal of connecting 98% of Canadians to high-speed Internet by 2026, and all Canadians by 2030.

• As of December 2023, nearly 96% of Canadian homes have access to high-speed Internet. This represents an improvement since 2017 when less than 85% of Canadians had access to high-speed Internet.

• Under the Universal Broadband Fund, applicants that offer lower retail pricing are assessed more favourably and their proposed retail plans must remain in place for five years.

• The Government of Canada has also announced significant agreements with Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island to help provide high-speed Internet access to all Canadians by 2030.

• The Universal Broadband Fund also includes $50 million to improve mobile services in areas benefitting Indigenous peoples. Under this stream, the fund is improving cell coverage along 1,100 kilometres of road and highway, including British Columbia’s Highway of Tears. More announcements are expected.

Whole of government status: Since 2015, the Government of Canada has made more than $7.6 billion available for Internet connectivity and is on track to meet its connectivity targets. By 2026, over 98% of households are projected to have access to speeds of 50/10 megabits per second (Mbps). As of December 2023, 95.8% of Canadian homes have access to high-speed Internet.

Universal Broadband Fund (UBF): In Budget 2019, the government set a target for 95% of Canadians to have access to speeds of at least 50/10 Mbps by 2026 and 100% by 2030. With new investments, the target for 2026 has been increased to 98%. The UBF has dedicated $3.2 billion, up from the original $1 billion, towards connecting Canadians living in rural and remote areas to high-speed Internet, and improving mobile connectivity for Indigenous peoples. There are federal-provincial co-funding agreements with Quebec ($934 million), Ontario ($1.3 billion), Newfoundland and Labrador ($136 million), Alberta ($780 million), British Columbia ($830 million), and Prince Edward Island ($20 million) to connect 823,000 households.

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite developments: The government is supporting Telesat’s low Earth orbit satellite project (Telesat Lightspeed) via a loan investment of $2.14 billion. Support for this project will bolster Canada’s leadership in the new space economy, create jobs, and support connecting all Canadians to affordable high-speed Internet.
The government has invested up to $600 million to secure low Earth orbit satellite capacity over Canada via Telesat Lightspeed. These satellites will provide Internet coverage to rural and remote regions of Canada, including the North.

Spectrum Initiatives: The government has released spectrum to support 5G technologies and the provision of telecom services across Canada through successive auctions, most recently in 2023 for the 3800 MHz band. Future releases are planned through an auction for millimeter wave spectrum, used to support new high-capacity use cases, as well as a local licensing process to support access for smaller users. To help ensure this spectrum is put to use in a timely manner, especially in rural and remote areas, ISED has deployment requirements that reflect the minimum population coverage that licensees are required to meet within a service area and a specific timeframe. ISED has also established an Access Licensing Framework to free up unused spectrum in rural and remote areas to support the expansion of broadband services.

Satellite-to-Cellular Technology: The government is leveraging new technologies to help improve mobile connectivity in underserved areas. On February 20, 2025, ISED released a decision on a framework to enable providers to expand wireless service via satellites. This will allow mainstream consumer devices (e.g. existing cell phones) to stay connected even when outside the range of towers by communicating directly with satellites. Rogers became the first provider to make use of this new framework by launching beta services in July 2025. Full commercial service expected is to launch in October and will initially be limited to text, with voice and low-speed data possibly to follow.

Canadian Radio‑television and Telecommunications (CRTC) Broadband Fund: In 2016, the CRTC established a fund to help achieve universal access at speeds of 50/10 Mbps, as well as improve mobile coverage along major roads. The CRTC’s fund is sourced from a levy on carriers’ revenues. The CRTC has announced over 60 projects worth more than $752 million under the first three calls for applications, and a fourth call is expected in the coming months.

Connect to Innovate (CTI): CTI (announced in Budget 2016), will bring improved Internet speeds to over 975 rural and remote communities, including 190 Indigenous communities.