Rural broadband: Conservatives want 50/10 by 2021

OTTAWA — The Conservative caucus issued a call to action on rural Internet by launching its own consultation process Wednesday morning which purports to force the country to meet the CRTC’s 50/10 Mbps universal service objective, everywhere, including rural and remote regions, by 2021. In 2016, the CRTC set 2030 as the deadline for that particular speed to be made available everywhere in Canada. “Today’s digital economy means that affordable, reliable access to consistent high-speed internet is a determinant to economic productivity, and individual equality of opportunity. Despite the CRTC designating broadband as an essential service more than 5 years...