Poor connection: Examining Canada's digital divide

"Rural electricity" by Kevin Dooley is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

As many Canadians have transitioned to working and studying from home this year, it is now more important than ever that every household has access to fast, reliable, and affordable internet. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted not only the essential nature of the internet, but also the inequity of internet access that exists across Canada. While urban communities have almost seamlessly shifted their classes, conferences, and even healthcare appointments online, many rural and remote communities do not have the same options. Despite repeated promises from the federal government to address the digital divide in Canada, few rural communities currently meet the government standard for internet speed. In addition, they often face higher costs than their urban counterparts. Given the increasingly urgent need to connect rural households, it is crucial to understand whether or not the federal government is following through on its promises to underserved communities.

What does it mean to say that Canada has a digital divide? In simple terms, it means that not all Canadians have equal access to the internet, with rural and lower-income groups often facing higher costs and slower speeds than urban and upper-income groups. The Canada Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the regulatory agency responsible for broadcasting and telecommunications, considers internet access an essential service. With this classification, every Canadian is entitled to receive access to broadband internet service. According to the CRTC, everyone should have equal access to broadband speeds of at least 50 Megabits per second (Mbps) download, 10 Mbps upload, and access to unlimited data. Yet, by the CRTC’s own calculation, only 41% of rural communities and 30% of households in First Nation communities - compared to 86% of Canada as a whole - have internet that meets these standards. Furthermore, about 6% of Canadian households have no internet connection in their home at all, either because they don’t have the option of service in their area or because the cost of service is too high.

This inequity in internet service has serious consequences for communities in northern, rural, and remote parts of Canada. At Chawathil First Nation in southwestern B.C., the download speed of the internet is only 1 Mbps, yet the cost of upgrading their internet with their provider would be tens of thousands of dollars. As a result, students are now struggling to connect to their online classes, the community can’t hold video meetings, and residents are unable to access critical telehealth resources.

In eastern Ontario, households in dozens of rural municipalities have WiFi that can only be accessed by one family member at a time. In addition, schools that might want to offer online classes due to COVID-19 are unable to do so given the poor internet quality. Instead, families must send their children back to in-person classes in the middle of a pandemic. Now that a strong internet connection is essential, residents in these rural areas are asking the government for increased funding for high-speed internet development in their area.

Since Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party came to power in 2015, the federal government has repeatedly made promises to address the digital divide. In 2016, it set a new goal of connecting 95% of Canadians to high-speed internet by 2026, and all Canadians by 2030. To achieve this goal, the government has implemented numerous programs and initiatives targeting rural areas. Some of these programs exist for the sole purpose of expanding broadband access, such as the Universal Broadband Fund. This fund will provide up to $6 billion over ten years to expand broadband access in rural and remote communities. Other programs address larger infrastructure goals and allocate a portion of their funds for broadband development. For instance, the First Nation Infrastructure Fund aims to improve the quality of life in First Nation communities by decreasing infrastructure gaps on reserves in eight categories, one of which is connectivity.

However, there are significant concerns surrounding the government’s plans and programs. First, in addition to the Universal Broadband Fund and the First Nation Infrastructure Fund, there are dozens of other programs that similarly aim to improve internet access, each run by a different federal ministry. This includes the Connect to Innovate Program, the Connecting Canadians Program, the CRTC Broadband Fund, and, recently, the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) Growth Plan, meant to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19. While it might seem promising that so many programs exist, with each one run by different departments,  some experts are questioning if they are simply band-aids rather than substantive solutions. Without a coordinated approach to the digital divide, it will be tough for citizens to keep the government accountable and ensure that all projects are actually completed.

The second issue concerning the government’s plans is that it doesn’t share details about how or where each program’s funds are spent. Given this lack of transparency, it is hard to discern if all rural and remote communities have equal access to government funding. For example, it is much more difficult, and therefore more expensive, to develop internet infrastructure in rugged areas.  The companies which the government hires to implement expansion projects may prioritize development in the most cost-effective or easily accessible communities. If the government does not disclose how and where its funds are allocated, it is impossible to know whether communities in rugged areas, especially in northern Canada, are receiving the same attention as those in less rugged areas.

The digital divide demands the federal government’s attention now more than ever, yet efforts to address the gap in internet access have yet to prove effective.  While it appears that the government has various plans and initiatives to solve the problem, without transparency and coordination, it is unclear whether or not these plans will work to produce universal internet access across Canada. With the increasing necessity of a strong and reliable internet connection, if the government wants to ensure that communities have equal access to education and opportunities, it needs to implement a more comprehensive and synchronized policy to address the digital divide.