Quality High-Speed Home Internet is Essential

However here in the riding of Milton, and elsewhere across Canada, it is not universally available.

 
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Rural Miltonians should be able to connect to the internet with the same convenience, at the same speed, and at no additional expense when compared to their urban neighbours. We live within a 30 minute drive of the fourth biggest city in North America. Universal access to the internet is not a dream, it’s a very achievable objective and one that every Canadian deserves. Our government recognizes this and has invested more than any other in Canadian history on rural internet, but we clearly have more work to do. 

COVID-19 has highlighted the problem and inequity that exists here and all across Canada. Miltonians have been learning and teaching from home, working remotely, and engaging in the digital economy just like their urban neighbours – but it’s taken longer, costed more and sometimes it doesn’t work at all. This needs to change.

I know it’s been even more challenging these days. I’ve heard you, and you can count on me. 

Over the past eight months, I’ve worked hard on this issue on behalf of my neighbours in rural Milton, Burlington, Campbellville and elsewhere. Here are some examples of that advocacy: 

  1. Engaging with my neighbours online, over the phone and in person (prior to COVID-19). Heard concerns, issues and ideas, listened to feedback and attempted to fully understand the problem from a local perspective.

  2. Shared the High-speed Internet for all of Canada link with impacted neighbours, including the speed-test, to help develop more data for our geographical area.

  3. Joined meetings with National Liberal Rural Caucus to advocate for local attention for our riding and learned more by hearing the issues my colleagues and their constituents face in their ridings.

  4. Held meetings with other levels of government, with both Halton region and the Town of Milton to discuss applications for Federal Program funding.

  5. Held meetings with Internet Service Providers (Bell, Rogers, Xplornet, Shaw, etc) to learn about their plans, new technologies and what they need to implement them.

  6. Engaged directly with Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Navdeep Bains, his Parliamentary Secretary Will Amos, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, Maryam Monsef and their staff to advocate for our local needs. 

Changes and solutions are not going to happen overnight, but the impatience that I’ve heard from my rural neighbours is 100% justified. The time has come. The technology exists, and Miltonians deserve the same access regardless of whether they live in rural or urban areas. 

Our government has an ambitious plan to implement the Universal Broadband Fund, and I’ve copied some of the details below. When I was an athlete, a plan was a great start – but then we needed to get out on the water, do the hard work, and get across the finish line. We’ve got the plan, now it’s time to get to work. 

I am looking forward to an announcement soon, for concrete funding, access and progress on rural home internet. Not in months or years – our neighbours need and deserve this NOW. 

Minister Bains, Minister Monsef, Prime Minister Trudeau – you have been generous with your time and availability on this and many other issues, and I thank you. Now let’s get our neighbours and friends in rural areas across our country, hooked up and online, ASAP. 

Adam van Koeverden

Member of Parliament for Milton

 

More on actions the government has taken to private rural internet:

Working with partners, our Government is using a range of measures to deliver on Canada's Connectivity Strategy. We are mobilizing $5-$6 billion in new investments for rural broadband to achieve the goal of universal access at speeds of 50 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 10 Mbps upload. This plan
includes:        

  • Support through the Accelerated Investment Incentive to encourage greater investments in rural high-speed Internet and mobile access from the private sector;

  • Greater coordination with provinces, territories, and federal arm's-length institutions, such as the CRTC and its $750 million rural/remote broadband fund;

  • $1.7 billion for a new Universal Broadband Fund, new investments in the Connect to Innovate program, and advanced new Low Earth Orbit satellite capacity to serve the most rural and remote regions of Canada;

  • Funding for broadband is also available through Infrastructure Canada's $2 billion Rural and Northern Infrastructure stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program;

  • The Canada Infrastructure Bank will seek to invest $1 billion over the next 10 years, and leverage at least $2 billion in additional private sector investment to increase broadband access
    for Canadians.

  • The First Nation Infrastructure Fund (FNIF) provides funding to improve the quality of life and the environment for First Nation communities by addressing the long standing infrastructure gaps on reserves in eight project categories, including connectivity.

Adam van Koeverden