Connecting the North: Connect to Innovate is just a "drop in the bucket" as a broadband solution

By Perry Hoffman

OTTAWA – A senior government official acknowledged during a Parliamentary committee appearance Thursday morning that the federal government’s $500 million Connect to Innovate (CTI) program won’t do enough to bring broadband to all underserved communities in Canada.Speaking to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, Susan Hart, director general for the Connecting Canadians Branch at Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) noted the number of communities which will get new backbone infrastructure under CTI is “a drop in the bucket” compared to what’s needed.When setting out to determine the scope of the CTI program, the federal...