Post Tagged with: "internet"

Government Pulling Support for Community Access Programs

Marita Moll reports that Industry Canada has sent letters to thousands of community access program sites advising that funding is coming to an end for most sites. CAP was established in 1995 to provide community access to the Internet. The program will be scaled down to cover only those communities without access to a publicly funded library within 25 kilometres. Other program sites will see their funding disappear effective April 1, 2010.

Industry Canada describes CAP in the following manner:

The program plays a crucial role in bridging the Digital Divide; contributing to the foundation for electronic access to government services; encouraging on-line learning and literacy; fostering the development of community based infrastructure; and, promoting Canadian e-commerce.

The Government says the program is no longer needed. The letter to administrators states:

March 15, 2010 — 16 comments — News

Liberals Call for Better Internet and Wireless Competition, Net Neutrality

The Liberals have issued a noteworthy release calling for better competition and service for wireless and Internet services in Canada. The party says there is a real competition problem that calls for "concrete proposals to lower prices and improve cell phone and Internet service for urban and rural Canadians." The […]

October 30, 2009 — 7 comments — News

OECD Report Finds Canadian Broadband Slow, Expensive

In recent months, much of the discussion about high-speed Internet service in Canada has focused on two key issues – net neutrality and the need to bring broadband access to the remaining underserved areas in rural Canada. Both of these issues are now squarely on the public agenda with the CRTC conducting hearings on net neutrality next month and the government committing millions toward rural broadband initiatives in this year's budget.

My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that issing is a third, fast-growing concern, however. According to a new OECD report, Canada has one of the slowest and most expensive consumer broadband networks in the developed world. The OECD report, widely viewed as the leading global benchmark on broadband networks, compared Canada with 29 other countries on a range of metrics. These included broadband availability, pricing, speed, and bandwidth caps.

At first glance, the numbers do not seem that bad, with Canada ranking ninth out of 30 countries for broadband penetration. While that represents a sharp decline from years ago when Canada prided itself in standing second worldwide, its current position is unchanged from last year. Yet the situation becomes far more troubling once the OECD delves deeper into Canadian broadband pricing and speed.

June 1, 2009 — 18 comments — Columns

Budget 2009 – Money for Broadband, Part Two

In the dying days of the fall election campaign, the Conservatives promised to spend $100 million per year for five years on broadband deployment in rural areas starting in 2010. While the budget moves that spending up a year, it commits less money – $75 million per year for three […]

January 27, 2009 — 3 comments — News

Government Commits Nearly $2 Million for Broadband in Gaspésie

The federal government has announced plans to spend nearly $2 million on deploying broadband in the Gaspésie region in Quebec. The money comes from the Major Economic and Tourism Facilities – Access to Broadband Services initiative.

January 14, 2009 — 2 comments — News