How to improve internet affordability in Canada: increase competition, says CRTC
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has announced measures to increase competition in the market, aiming to give Canadian consumers more choice and pricing options on their broadband services.
The CRTC will now “enable competitors to use the fibre networks of large telephone companies.” This will include existing fibre networks and any new fibre networks built in the next five years.
Canada’s largest telephone companies—Bell Canada, Saskatchewan Telecommunications, and TELUS—must provide access to their networks by February 2025.
By increasing competition in the Canadian telecommunications industry, the CRTC hopes that “consumers can benefit from lower prices and innovative new offers.”
The announcement was made in August 2024, nine months after the CRTC began piloting the scheme in Ontario and Quebec. It follows a policy direction from Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada, which asked the CRTC to improve competition, foster affordability, and protect consumers’ rights, especially accessibility rights.
The government wrote in Budget 2024 that it has successfully lowered the cost of cell phone plans by 52 per cent between 2016 and 2024. However, critics pointed out that consumers were more likely to be getting additional services in their plan, rather than the financial cost of the plan reducing itself.
Internet access and affordability remains a key part of Canada’s digital divide, in both urban and rural areas. Companies that won funding under the Universal Broadband Fund continue to roll out high-speed Internet services across the country, with a particular focus on remote regions. Meanwhile, in Toronto, despite a high rate of internet coverage in households, cost remains a significant barrier.
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