TORONTO — The federal government “must dramatically reduce the regulatory burden on the telecommunications industry to accelerate 5G deployment,” says the newest report from the C.D. Howe Institute’s telecommunications policy working group – which includes top regulatory experts and executives from Canada’s biggest telecom companies, including Bell, Rogers, Telus, Shaw, Cogeco and Eastlink.
“Telecommunications providers face obstacles in gaining access rights to infrastructure for installing telecommunications facilities. These barriers, alongside difficulty navigating government incentive programs for expanded connectivity, could stall the federal government’s aim of extending high-speed internet coverage to 98 percent of households by 2026,” reads a press release announcing the release of the working group’s second communiqué.
The group is asking for clarity on the boundaries of federal and provincial jurisdiction, particularly in relation to fees imposed by municipalities and electric utilities, permitting and access to infrastructure for installing telecom facilities. The Ontario government attempted to address those issues with a new Act introduced last week.
In this report, the working group makes the following recommendations:
- Ottawa needs to exercise its exclusive constitutional authority for telecommunications infrastructure and address tensions with municipalities and provincially regulated utilities over access rights to passive infrastructure, since these disputes may impede deployment of 5G facilities.
- Federal and provincial governments should streamline incentive programs, aiming for a single-window approach, and ensure clearly articulated goals and funding criteria, to accelerate rural and remote connectivity.
- The federal government should present a “5G roadmap” to provide certainty for facilities-based providers and downstream users/developers to accelerate homegrown innovation in technology and applications that leverage 5G connectivity.
For more information and to access the full report, please click here.
