Digital divide: Is high-speed internet access a luxury or a right?

In an era when some Canadians are cutting back on groceriesand skimping on the rent just to stay online, there's a growing argument that high-speed home internet accessis no longer a luxury, but a necessity. And the CRTC will soon have to decide whether it agrees.

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Internet access has become necessary foremployment, education and civic engagement,advocates say. Peopleneed to go online to find work, do homework, obtain many government services and stay connected, especially as more programs move towardcloud-based subscription models.

But not everyone has equal access. And that digital divide, advocates say,serves to keep the poorest Canadians from getting a legup.

'A human right'

The Affordable Access Coalition,made up of public policy,consumer advocate and anti-poverty organizations, is petitioning theCRTC tosubsidizeinternet access for low-income and rural Canadians.

The CRTC will consider the proposal, among others, atpublic hearings into telecommunications services inApril.

Coalition member ACORN Canada, a national organization of low- and moderate-income families, is calling on the CRTC to mandate that $10 per month high-speed internet packagesbe made available to families and individuals living below Statistics Canada's low-income measure.

"It's no longer a commodity; it's a necessity," ACORN spokeswoman Alejandra Ruiz Vargas told CBC News.

She is not alone in that assertion.

In speech last year, U.S. President Barack Obamaproclaimed:"Today, high-speed broadband is not a luxury, it's a necessity."

In a 2015address to the United Nations,Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerbergcalled internet access"a basic human right, like access to health care or water."

Facebook, as well as Google, havebeen investing in expandedinternet access in the developing world. Google, meanwhile, announced last week it will providefree ultra-high-speed internet to public housing residents in cities on its Google Fiber network.

Even back in 2011,UN's specialrapporteuron freedom of expression called on all governments"todevelop a concrete and effective plan of action to make the internet widely available, accessible and affordable to all segments of the population."

But not everyone is sold.

CommissionerMichaelO'Rielly oftheU.S. Federal Communications Commissionsaid in a speech last yearthat internet access "doesn't even come close to the threshold to be considered a basic human right."

"People do a disservice by overstating its relevancy or stature in people's lives," he said. "People can and do live without internet access, and many lead very successful lives."

But someCanadians are so desperate to stay online, they forgo other basic needs to do so,says ACORN.

The group recentlysurveyed 400 of its members and discovered 59 per cent havecut into other budgets to pay their internet bills. Of those,71 per cent went without food, 64 per cent cut back on recreation and 13 per cent delayed paying theirrent.

Eight per cent of those surveyed don't have the internet at homeor have cancelled itdue to high costs.

"The results wereshocking,"Vargas said. "Sometimes, we take things for granted."

'Universal service'

John Lawford of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre stopsshort of calling broadband access ahuman right, but said it should be considered a"universal service," with public policy geared towardmaking it as widely accessible as possible.

The advocacy centre, also a member of the coalition,suggests that higher-earning Canadians pay a little extra on their own internet bills about a dollar a month to subsidizeaccess for those who can't afford it.

That money wouldfundinternet infrastructurein rural areas andsubsidies of $10.50to$20.50 per monthfor low-income Canadians in urban centres.

But it wouldn't cover the$10-per-month packages ACORN is lobbying for.

"My understanding is that ACORN is going tohave to seek further support fromsay, government, if they really want to get it down to $10," Lawfordsaid.

Keeping pace

If theCRTCagrees to pursueuniversal access to broadbandinternet, itwill haveto decide what basic service looks like.

Lawfordworries that if the benchmark is set too low,Canadians will still be left behind as fibre optic networks expand and raisethe bar for what constitutes an acceptableinternet.

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"Asthe rest of the networks get upgraded, if there isn't a very careful upgrading of the lowest package for people, this divide in substance will happen again, even though they have quote-unquote internetaccess, because you won't be able to do anything," he said.

ThePublic Interest Advocacy Centre suggests a flexible target,based onaverage download speedsenjoyed by 80 per cent of connected Canadians.

Cost not the biggest barrier: Rogers

The big telecoms will also have their say at the CRTC hearings, where Rogers plans to argue that cost is not the biggest barrier to internet access.

Spokeswoman Jennifer Kettcited a December2015 Ipsos Reid survey of1,250 Canadiansthat found 91 per centhave the internet at home. Among those who don't, 30 per cent cited cost as a barrier, while the other 70 per cent cited a lack of interest orability.

"So the real challenge is making sure Canadians are getting the most out of their access. That means tackling all barriers such as confidence in security and privacy and increasing digital literacy," Kettsaid.