On Wednesday, Canada’s telecommunications regulator said that access to high-speed Internet is an essential service that everyone is entitled to receive while announcing a $750 million fund that will bring all residents at least 50 megabits per second.
"Access to broadband Internet service is vital and a basic telecommunication service all Canadians are entitled to receive," CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais said at a news conference.
"High quality and reliable digital connectivity is essential for the quality of life of Canadians and Canada's economic prosperity.”
The commission also ordered telecom services to provide installment plans to residents within six months. AFP reports that most of Canada’s 12 million households are already connected to broadband access while 18 percent of residents use dial-up or slower-speed access to the Internet. Blais argues that low-speed Internet hinders their ability to participate in the digital economy.
The $750 million fund will be distributed over five years and the CRTC wants 90 percent of Canadian residents to have access to high-speed Internet by 2021.
