Government of Canada improves telecommunications services for Canadians

Minister Bains announces initiatives to improve quality, coverage and price

TORONTO, June 6, 2018 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is making sure that when it comes to telecom services, all Canadians benefit from improved quality, coverage and price.

Today, the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, delivered a keynote address to the 2018 Canadian Telecom Summit. He announced a series of measures to improve telecom services for Canadians, including:

• Consultations to prepare Canada for 5G, the next-generation, high-quality, wireless systems that will enable smart cities, connected cars, and e-health;
• Canada's new five-year plan for wireless spectrum releases that will promote competition to help drive down prices for Canadians and deliver better quality and coverage;
• A 100-million-dollar Budget 2018 investment that will improve coverage and connectivity in rural areas with low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites; and
• The launch of Connecting Families, an initiative that will provide hundreds of thousands of Canadians with low-cost Internet and will provide up to 50,000 computers to eligible households through the Government of Canada's existing Computers for Schools program.

Taken together, these measures will continue to expand Canadians' access to the digital economy and build on progress that the Government has made over the past year.

Quotes

"We remain focused on te three elements of telecom service that matter most to Canadians: quality, coverage and price. We are also dedicated to ensuring that underrepresented groups can access the new skills, jobs and opportunities that are available online. We're building on the progress we've made to promote telecom competition and help prepare Canada for emerging new technologies such as smart homes and connected cars. I also want to recognize the private sector leadership we're seeing through the Connecting Families low-cost Internet initiative."

Quick facts

• The Government is pleased to be partnering on Connecting Families with Bell Canada, Cogeco, Rogers, SaskTel, Shaw, TELUS and Vidéotron
• Connecting Families will offer eligible participants with no less than 10 Megabits per second (Mbps) download speeds (or the fastest available if less than 10 Mbps to that family in their region) and no less than 100 gigabytes (GB) of data usage each month at the discounted rate. No equipment or installation fees will be applied.
• Today's announcements build on several other steps the Government has taken to improve telecom services for Canadians, including the historic ENCQOR 5G partnership for next generation technology, the Connect to Innovate program, the CRTC's $750M Broadband fund, and the 600MHz Auction Framework that supports vigorous marketplace competition.

Associated links

• Spectrum Outlook 2018 to 2022
• Consultation on Revisions to the 3500 MHz Band to Accommodate Flexible Use and Preliminary Consultation on Changes to the 3800 MHz Band
• Addendum to the Consultation on Releasing Millimetre Wave Spectrum to Support 5G
• 2017 Price Comparison Study of Telecommunications Services in Canada and Select Foreign Jurisdictions
• Minister Bains addresses the 2017 Canadian Telecom Summit

Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on Twitter: @ISED_CA

SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

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