Claire Anderson to Canada's Rural and Remote Broadband Community conference

Kelowna, British Columbia
November 4, 2024

Claire Anderson, Commissioner, British Columbia and Yukon
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)

Check against delivery

Good morning and thank you, everyone, for joining us today. 

Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional and unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan people. The Syilx Okanagan people signed the Okanagan Nation Declaration in 1987, confirming that they are the unconquered Aboriginal people of this land and that they have never given up their rights to the land and resources, which is what I mean when I say that I am on the unceded territory of the Syilx.

It is a real pleasure to be here with everyone again and to see so many familiar faces. When we met last year, I spoke about the importance of reconciliation to the work we do at the Commission. I spoke about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action and how they are relevant to government as well as private sector actors. I also spoke about how the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples applies to and guides our work at the Commission, and our role in continuing to advance reconciliation in our work, which involves considering how to close the gap in access to broadband services in Indigenous communities. But this gap does not simply exist for Indigenous communities-there is a gap in universal service level broadband availability in remote and rural areas, which you know only too well.

Last year I also discussed the ways in which the CRTC itself has begun to deliver on the spirit of our commitments to Indigenous peoples, from including reconciliation as a major part of our recently released strategic plan, to taking steps to increase Indigenous participation in our processes, to reviewing the Broadband Fund, the CRTC has begun its own reconciliation journey in earnest.

Today, I want to share the progress we have made in the past year, as well as the work that is still to come. The CRTC recognizes that the digital divide still exists, but we are committed to a future where rural, remote and Indigenous peoples have all the tools they need to fully participate in today's digital economy.

Broadband Fund

I would like to start with an update on something I touched on last year: the ongoing review of the Broadband Fund. The Broadband Fund, as many of you know, is a small part of a larger Government of Canada effort to connect rural, remote and Indigenous communities. Entirely funded by the industry, it supports projects that increase access to high-speed Internet and cellphone services in rural, remote and Indigenous communities.

Last year, we launched a comprehensive review of the Fund to ensure it is closing the remaining connectivity gaps in this country in the best ways possible.

This included submissions from Indigenous and rural communities throughout the consultation process, some of whom told us we needed to be more engaged with Indigenous communities as part of the Reconciliation process. While I cannot speak on the results of that consultation at this point, I can assure you it is nearing its completion. We are hopeful to be able to share the results with you in the coming weeks.

So while that review continues, let me assure you the Fund is continuing to help connect rural, remote and Indigenous communities.

Since its launch in 2019, the Broadband Fund has committed more than $719 million. This funding is helping to improve high-speed Internet and cellphone services in 270 communities and along 630 kilometres of roads across the country, connecting essential institutions such as schools, healthcare centres and community learning centres. Last year I told you about how our third call for applications was focusing specifically on our hardest-to-reach communities.

Our investments this past year display this focus. Last December we provided funding through the Broadband Fund to bring high-speed Internet service to all communities in Nunavut for the first time, as well as improved service to Indigenous communities in Northern Ontario and British Columbia. And in the past six months alone, we provided funding to connect communities to fibre Internet in Nunavut, rural Manitoba and northern Quebec. We also approved funding to improve cellphone service along major roads in the north of Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador.

As I mentioned last year, we plan to launch a consultation to create a new, Indigenous-specific funding stream within the program. As part of our ongoing review, we are also looking to see if we can improve the Fund to make the process easier and faster for applicants to apply for and receive funding.

Tools and engagement

Additionally, we know our rural, remote and Indigenous communities often face unique challenges that require unique solutions. We need to ensure that the distinct nature and lived experiences of Indigenous peoples, and their Indigenous rights, are considered across all of our work.

In the past year, we have begun to put in place tools and methods that can foster greater engagement between the CRTC and Indigenous communities, as well as improving the ways in which those communities can participate in our processes.

For example, we recognize the need for greater guidance on how we can navigate issues that affect Indigenous communities as we support telecommunications infrastructure projects. We need to ensure that projects align with Indigenous peoples' values and to ensure that the community is able to participate in the project - financially or in-kind - as contemplated in our original Broadband Fund decision (2018-377). That's why earlier this year we launched the Indigenous Relations Team within the CRTC.

The team will support Indigenous participation in CRTC proceedings and engagement on the issues that matter to them. In the true spirit of reconciliation, the team is not only engaging with these communities, but co-developing policy options and best practices alongside them. We want to create and maintain meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities to help us better understand the issues that matter to them.

Network development and reliability

While we work on those relationships, we are continuing to strengthen our infrastructure so we can reach those communities more easily. Many of the investments I mentioned before will help build new infrastructure, but we know that there is plenty of existing infrastructure we can build upon to connect communities quickly with stronger, more reliable networks.

That's why last year the CRTC established new, faster timelines for large phone companies to provide access to poles to competitors. And earlier this year, we held a further consultation on whether we should change the rules that allow third parties to attach equipment to poles across Canada. 

We have yet to issue a decision from this most recent consultation. Any decision we make will continue to promote both greater competition and more investment in networks.

In addition to building out and enhancing our networks, we know Canadians need telecommunications networks to be reliable. This is crucial, as so much of our day-to-day life is increasingly dependent on high-quality Internet and cellphone services.

Additionally, communities across the country are experiencing the impact of natural disasters such as forest fires, hurricanes, and flooding. As many of you know all too well, these disasters hit traditionally underserved communities in rural and Indigenous areas particularly hard. When disaster strikes, Canadians need to have reliable communications services to receive instructions from emergency management officials and stay in touch with loved ones.

To address network disruptions, the CRTC announced a plan last year to lessen the disruptive impact of service outages on Canadians, reduce their occurrence and length, and ensure that essential services such as 9-1-1 and emergency alerts are always available. Canadian service providers are required to notify the CRTC of major outages and then submit a comprehensive report within 14 days. And this is just the start. We have plans to study other issues including how providers communicate with users during an outage, compensation for users after the fact, the impact outages have on accessibility services, and more.

When these consultations are launched, I hope we can count on your participation.

All of the decisions we make - including those made from these upcoming consultations - depend upon the public record. Representing your communities in CRTC processes is critical to ensuring our decisions take into account your unique views and the needs of your communities. So please join us - your input informs our decisions.

Wholesale access decision and others

Ensuring all Canadians have access to reliable high-speed Internet and can fully participate in today's digital economy is one of our top priorities. But we don't want to merely provide access. We also want to make sure that the services all Canadians have are affordable.

We know that affordability is an issue for many Canadians. During our consultations and hearings, we have heard about tough financial choices that people are being forced to make between telecommunications services, groceries and other expenses.

We want to do what we can to drive down prices and alleviate those pressures on Canadians.

That's why in August we expanded a decision we made last November for Ontario and Quebec. The decision is designed to deliver more choice to Canadians who want higher-speed Internet at lower prices. It enables competitors to use the fibre networks of the large telephone companies to offer services in regions and locations that they previously could not reach, while maintaining incentives for companies to invest in high-quality networks. And two weeks ago we set the interim wholesale rates that competitors will have to pay for this access. The decision was based on an extensive consultation process, including a public hearing held in February.

Additionally, just last month we issued two decisions which should help improve affordability in telecommunications services. The first mandates commercial negotiation with final offer arbitration for setting wholesale roaming rates going forward. We hope it will foster greater competition and bring lower rates to the market, in turn enabling competitors to offer better prices and plans to Canadians.

Two days after that, we expanded the access that large mobile wireless services companies must provide to regional carriers to more devices and customers. Here too we are reducing barriers to competition, improving the choices Canadians have in the market, and supporting innovation.

We will continue to closely monitor the Internet services market and the impact of this regulatory framework to ensure Canadians benefit from increased competition, lower prices and high-quality Internet.

Conclusion

So, as you can see, there is a lot of work underway at the CRTC. We are committed to everyone across this country having high-speed and reliable cellphone and Internet services, and ensuring those services are affordable and high-quality. That includes the rural, remote and Indigenous communities who have long been underserved when it comes to telecommunications.

While I am excited about the work ahead, let me leave you with an invitation: work with us to overcome the hurdles your communities face together. Today there are more and more ways your communities can participate in our processes and make your voice heard, whether it is through our consultations and processes, engaging with our Indigenous Relations Team, or talking to me over the next couple of days.

Because we share common goals. And I know, through dialogue and understanding, we can reach them together.

Thank you.