THUNDER BAY, ON – A future Liberal government will ensure that high-speed Internet is available across the country plus expand mobile phone coverage for rural and remote Canada, all within three years of being elected, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said Tuesday.
Using proceeds from the upcoming spectrum auction slated for 2011, Ignatieff said that his party would target connectivity of at least 1.5 Mbps for all Canadian communities, followed by “a more ambitious goal for 2017”, Canada’s 150th anniversary as a country.
“Too many rural communities can’t access essential services like education, healthcare or economic development because we don’t have the digital infrastructure to deliver them,” Ignatieff said in a statement. “That’s why I’m committing a future Liberal government to 100% high-speed Internet for every rural, remote and Northern community in our country.”
According to CRTC data, close to 800,000 Canadian households (or 20% of all rural Canadians) still could not access high-speed Internet last year.
