Don’t let the momentum to close the digital divide lag

While the pandemic has shown vulnerabilities in the health-care system, it has also exposed digital inequities. Many of the ways in which our society pivoted to digital to survive the pandemic have become the new norm. Many government services are now online; doctors offer a variety of digital consulting services, and though kids are back in class, web-based classrooms are more critical than ever. Lack of access to fast, reliable internet can also impact our security and well-being if users can’t download critical patches for their devices or access emergency services. The pandemic has accelerated our transition to a digital future, and communities that don’t have adequate access to online services are in danger of being left behind. So, how can we help maintain the awareness, momentum, and action that we saw during the pandemic to close the digital divide? The Canadian Internet Registration Authority’s (CIRA) 2022 Internet Performance Test data release suggests that while the situation is improving across parts of Canada, there remains a significant divide between Canadians living in urban areas and those in rural or remote areas. The median download speed in rural Canada is only 22.2 megabits per second (Mbps)—about one-third of what urban Canadians enjoy, and less than half of what the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) says every Canadian should have access to. The gap is even wider for upload speeds, which are critical for real-time applications like video calls and cloud-based solutions. During the pandemic, the importance of having a reliable internet connection spurred measures to improve access to broadband internet. Federal and provincial governments have invested billions to accelerate network expansion, while internet providers are upgrading their networks. Where gaps remained, many communities created innovative models to bring connectivity to their areas, including some supported by CIRA’s Community Investment Program. However, simply having access to the internet is not enough. The digital divide is a complex problem, influenced by many factors including cost and digital literacy, but most of all, the availability, reliability, and resiliency of broadband technology. Over the past few years, there has been a lot of focus on achieving the minimum download speed (50 Mbps) spelled out in the Universal Service Objective (USO) set out by the CRTC. Funders and service providers must shift their attention to building infrastructure that meets all of the quality metrics set out by the commission, including a minimum upload speed of 10 Mbps, and latency of no more than 50 milliseconds. Latency is often forgotten when considering the quality of an internet connection. Real-time applications are no longer luxuries but mission-critical activities for many small businesses. This makes the poor performance of high-latency networks increasingly problematic. As we saw this summer with the nationwide Rogers outage, reliability and resiliency are also critical to dependable internet access. On this point, governments of all levels are key to safeguard these pillars of Canada’s internet infrastructure. Governments must play a convening role, bringing together the many stakeholders involved in connectivity planning: service providers, network builders, community advocates, and funders of all kinds. Governments must also continue to play a facilitating role in helping close the digital divide. This includes providing funding and working with stakeholders to streamline processes and remove barriers that make broadband roll-out cumbersome, such as accelerating permit approvals and better co-ordination with municipalities. Most critically, governments need to provide oversight to ensure Canadians are getting what they are promised. We must better understand the state (and accuracy) of Canada’s internet network map, and plan for improved infrastructure that will provide much-needed resiliency. This will also help improve latency, increase data sovereignty, and reduce our dependence on foreign internet infrastructure. The government has an interest in protecting its investments in broadband access in Canada. First, by making sure it properly tracks the outcomes of its projects, by monitoring all quality metrics set out by the CRTC. And finally, by ensuring there is sufficient resiliency to protect Canada’s network, and Canadians’ internet access. Tanya O’Callaghan is the vice-president of community investment, policy, and advocacy at the Canadian Internet Registration Authority. She is also a founding member of the multi-stakeholder committee behind the Canadian Internet Governance Forum. The Hill Times