Trudeau promises to connect 98% of Canadians to high-speed internet by 2026
Announcement comes as Canadians spend more time online due to the pandemic
After some pandemic-related delays, the Liberal government says it's nowon track to connect 98 per cent of Canadians to high-speed internet by 2026.
The announcement comes as more Canadians find themselves living online while stuck at home due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a handful of cabinet ministersheld a news conference in Ottawa to launch the $1.75 billion universal broadband fund a program unveiled in the federal government's 2019 budget and highlighted on the campaign trail and inSeptember's throne speech. Most of the moneywasannounced in last year's budget.
"We were ready to goin Marchwith the new Universal Broadband Fund and then the pandemic hit,"Rural Economic Development Minister Maryam Monsef told reporters.
The prime minister said the government is now on track to connect98 per cent of Canadiansto high-speedby 2026 an increase overthe previously promised 95 per cent benchmark and to link upthe rest by 2030.
"These are ambitious targetsand we're ready to meet them,"Trudeau said.
WATCH |Trudeau announces a large investment in broadband services for rural Canadians
About$150 million from the fund will be freed up to fund projects aimed at getting communities connected by next fall.
Senior officials with the department ofInnovation, Science and Economic Developmentsaid applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until Jan. 15, 2021, with a goal of having projects completed by mid-November, 2021.
Deciding who gets upgraded connectivity first will depend on the service providers applying, they said.
Josh Tabish iscorporate communications manager at the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, the not-for-profit agency that manages the .ca internet domain. He said he's hopingthat arapid build will bring relief to many Canadians over the next year.
"In terms of action, I thinkthis is great news for Canadians who are stuck at home suffering from slow, crappy internet," he said.
But Tabish also said he hopes the government will look at need when deciding which projects should get approval first.His group has been working to identify thecommunities thathave the slowestrates in Canada.
"What we really want to see happen is communities who are suffering with slow, sluggish connectivity get those upgrades first," he said.
The prime minister said the government alsohas reached a $600 million agreement with Telesat for satellite capacity to improve broadband service in remote areas and in the North.
"Good reliable internet isn't a luxury. It's a basic service," he said.
"Now more than ever, a video chat cutting out during a meeting or a connection that's too slow to upload a school assignment that's not just a hassle, that's a barrier."
Tories call out timelines
The Opposition Conservatives criticized the government's timelines, arguing Canadians need better access now more than ever.
"This is absolutely unacceptable and a slap in the face to the nearly one million Canadians who don't have internet access at home, much less a reliable cell phone signal," said MP John Nater, Conservative criticfor rural economic development.
"For months, Canada's Conservatives have been demanding concrete action to connect Canadians.We will continue to advocate for lower cell phone prices and for real improvements to broadband internet services, so that Canadians living in rural and remote areas have consistent access to these essential services."
TheCRTC declared broadband internet a basic telecommunications service in 2016.But its data suggestjust40.8 per cent of rural Canadian households have access to download speeds ofat least 50 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of10 Mbps.
The government said those speeds will allow Canadians to work and learn online and access telehealth services.
WATCH | Rural Canadians react to today's announcement
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