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?

• Now more than ever, we rely on our connections to work, learn, and stay in touch, and the Government of Canada wants to ensure that all Canadians have access to fast and reliable Internet.

• That is why Budget 2021 added $1 billion to the Universal Broadband Fund, for a total of $2.75 billion available to improve high-speed communications in rural and remote areas of Canada.

• The government also entered into a $600 million agreement with Telesat to secure capacity on the company’s Low Earth Orbit satellite constellation.

• The Universal Broadband Fund and complementary initiatives will help connect 98 per cent of Canadians by 2026, with the goal of connecting all Canadians by 2030.

• Increased Universal Broadband Fund funding will help advance large, high-impact projects; allow the government to partner with the Canada Infrastructure Bank and other stakeholders; and support a more rapid rollout of broadband projects in collaboration with provinces, territories and other partners.

• The Universal Broadband Fund includes up to $150 million for a Rapid Response Stream, dedicated to ‘shovel-ready’ projects that will be completed quickly. One hundred and thirty Rapid Response projects have already been announced, with more to come.

• The UBF also includes $50 million to improve mobile services in areas that will benefit Indigenous peoples.

• The CRTC also continues to announce projects under its Broadband Fund that will improve transport, access, and mobile wireless projects in underserved communities.

Universal Broadband Fund (UBF): In Budget 2019, the government set a national target for 95 per cent of all homes and businesses to have access to speeds of at least 50/10 Megabits per second (Mbps) by 2026 and 100 per cent by 2030. With new investments, the target for 2026 has been increased to 98 per cent.

The UBF has dedicated $2.75 billion, up from the original $1 billion, towards connecting Canadians living in rural and remote areas of the country to high-speed Internet as well as improving mobile Internet for Indigenous peoples. The UBF includes a $150 million Rapid Response stream dedicated for projects to connect rural Canadians quickly. There are federal-provincial co-funding agreements with Quebec ($920 million) and Ontario ($1.2 billion) to connect large numbers of households by September 2022 and 2025 respectively.

LEO satellite developments: The government has partnered with Telesat and invested up to $600 million to secure Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite capacity over Canada to reach the most remote communities. These satellites will provide high-bandwidth, low-latency broadband internet coverage to rural and remote regions of Canada, including the North. On August 12, 2021, the government announced an agreement-in-principle with Telesat to invest $1.44 billion into Telesat’s advanced LEO satellite constellation, Telesat Lightspeed. This investment will advance Canadian leadership globally in a strategically important sector.

Spectrum Initiatives: ISED is releasing spectrum to support 5G technologies and the provision of telecom services across Canada, including through the 2019 600 MHz auction, the recently completed 3500 MHz auction, and upcoming auctions for 3800 MHz and millimetre wave spectrum. To 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 within a specific timeframe. On August 4, 2021, ISED published four consultations on several initiatives that support rural and remote services and promote spectrum sharing.

CRTC Broadband Fund: In 2016, the CRTC established a fund of up to $750 million to help achieve universal access at speeds of 50/10 Mbps, as well as mobile coverage along major roads. The CRTC’s fund is sourced from a levy on telecommunications service providers’ revenues. The CRTC announced its first set of projects in northern and satellite dependent communities in August 2020 and continues to announce projects under its national call.

Connect to Innovate (CTI): Through CTI (announced in Budget 2016), almost 700 rural and remote communities across Canada are already benefitting from completed projects that have the potential to bring improved internet speeds to 158,000 households. By the end of 2021, 750 communities and 250,000 households will be on track to benefit from access to improved connectivity with CTI projects. By 2023, CTI will bring improved Internet speeds to over 975 rural and remote communities across Canada, including 190 Indigenous communities.