Digital divide keeps plaguing rural areas

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/03/2023 (1299 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“One of the weaknesses of the current rural infrastructure is the lack of high-speed or broadband internet service in areas outside our small towns.”

— Then Frontier Centre for Public Policy columnist Robert D. Sopuck, 2004

“You cannot run a successful business in today’s technological age without high-speed internet access.”

— Waskada resident Cindy Cassis, 2007

“We’re falling behind the rest of the world when it comes to speeds. A kid living in town has a big advantage over a kid living outside town.”

— Bill Landin, computer fixer and former mayor of Cartwright, 2008

“Manitoba’s one of the most under-served markets in Canada.”

— Rob Barlow, then head of Toronto firm WireIE, 2019

“Over one million rural households still have no access to high-speed internet, as well as over half our First Nations across this country still have no access to high-speed internet. This digital divide exists despite billions of dollars of funding announcements.”

— Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa MP Dan Mazier, Monday

Seven years ago, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission estimated that only 40 per cent of rural Canada had access to high-speed internet. At the time, it was noted that the marketplace would not be able to solve this situation alone, and that governments would have to step in where private enterprise would not.

According to the latest statistics, nearly 91 per cent of Canadian households had access to high-speed internet in 2021, but as the CBC reported yesterday, just 59.5 per cent of those in rural and remote areas enjoyed the same access. And if you narrow it down to households on First Nation reserves, that number drops to 42.9 per cent.

Much like the internet of 20 years ago, when it comes to high-speed internet access for rural and remote areas of the country, progress is akin to dial-up.

That’s not to say that Manitoba doesn’t have its share of private enterprises attempting to bring faster network speeds to thousands of rural internet customers. But there are limits to that access for rural customers who find themselves between larger towns and communities.

Low population density in rural areas makes it less economically feasible to build and maintain internet infrastructure compared with areas of higher customer density. As such, critics have long called upon the federal and/or provincial governments to step in.

The federal Liberal government has made commitments to improve both internet and cell service for Canadians, but on Monday the country’s auditor general issued a report stating that the Liberals have left money on the table.

As reported, the federal government had committed to connecting 90 per cent of Canadians to high-speed internet by 2021, 98 per cent of Canadians by 2026 and 100 per cent by 2030. And in order to help improve internet and cell service for Canadians, the government in 2015 made $2.4 billion available for use before March 31, 2023.

But as The Canadian Press reports, the government has only spent 40 per cent of that money — less than $1 billion. In a report tabled Monday, Canada’s auditor general suggested the failure here was that the CRTC and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada are slow to approve projects.

“Internet and mobile services is not equal for all Canadians,” reads the report, which analyzed data from 2018 to 2021.

Over the years, we have repeatedly noted that rural access to high-speed internet and cellphone coverage has lagged behind that of larger urban centres. That creates a problem for rural residents when more and more government programs are mainly available online, and rural areas with spotty cell service may have difficulty accessing emergency services.

But the audit also found the government is failing to account for affordability with those who it has connected, and is instead focused on price “without considering income.” Just getting connected to service isn’t enough; if the product is unaffordable or of poor quality, you might as well not have any service at all.

Rural connectivity has been an issue for at least two decades, yet here we are in 2023 still trying to meet the rural demand. It will be years before the government actually meets its target, and 100 per cent of Canadians have access to high-speed internet. You have to wonder if, by the time that happens, high speed will already be obsolete.