RURAL CONNECTIVITY TASK FORCE
Why rural Saskatchewan needs better connectivity – and how to get it
Calls to Action
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Fill out our survey APAS has created an online survey that gives us more information about your connectivity issues and lets the government know you support the RCTF.
To support our calls to action, or to learn more about the RCFT and its recommendations, visit apas.ca/policy/ruralconnectivity
"When people are talking about the difficulties of bringing fibre [optics] and internet service into all these rural areas, we did it with radio, and we did it with the telephone, so we can do it with the internet."
As a mother of two teenage boys, Angela Jones worries about their well-being every day. Her fears heightened after a woman in Jones' area of Wadena, SK, was killed in a vehicle crash eight years ago. It’s an outcome that could have been different if there was better cellular coverage in the area.
"One of the neighbours had to get in their vehicle and drive for quite a while before they could find a signal to call 9-1-1," Jones said. "Sadly, the young lady in that accident didn't survive. The risk of being injured in a farm setting and not being able to call for help is self-explanatory. It's a concern that plagues me every day." The Jones' are not alone. Too many families in rural Saskatchewan are faced with the challenges of unreliable cellular coverage and internet access.
APAS Rural Connectivity Task Force
The need for reliable cellular coverage and internet speed is why APAS launched the Rural Connectivity Task Force (RCTF) in September 2020. The RCTF met with industry leaders and experts to understand the issues around connectivity in rural Saskatchewan and determine how those issues can be addressed. One of those experts was Gregory Taylor, an Associate Professor at the University of Calgary. Taylor said that improving rural connectivity would involve a revamp of the whole spectrum system and getting more competition in the marketplace. "When people are talking about the difficulties of bringing fibre [optics] and internet service into all these rural areas, we did it with radio, and we did it with the telephone, so we can do it with the internet,” Taylor said. “If we get a real political push behind it, we can resolve the current problems." The proposal to redesign the spectrum system is in Recommendation #17 in the RCTF’s final report. 17. Improve the rules and regulations associated with spectrum auctions to better support the goal of universal minimum service as defined by the CRTC, by: a. Ensuring that all roll-out conditions prioritize universal access and are enforced. b. Enforcing the “use it or lose it” provision to make sure that all spectrum is used.
43 Recommendations
After five months of research, the RCTF released a final report that includes 43 recommendations focused on improving connectivity in rural Saskatchewan, organized into seven themes: 1. Working Together
Supporting shared access to infrastructure and fair partnerships between service providers. 2. Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen
Simplifying Canada's regulatory structure for greater accountability, transparency, and efficiency. 3. The Importance of Smaller Internet Service Providers Supporting competition within the industry to ensure smaller players can survive, thrive, and support universal internet access. 4. Optimizing Public Resources Optimizing government funding and managing spectrum effectively. 5. Regaining and Retaining Canadian Excellence Ensuring that Canada takes a leadership role to build long-term sustainability within our telecommunications industry and infrastructure. 6. Taking Control of the Saskatchewan Advantage Leveraging our Crown Corporations to ensure that Saskatchewan plays a leadership role in achieving universal connectivity and realizing the social and economic benefits that come along with it. 7. Consumer Protection Ensuring consumers are guaranteed high-quality, affordable internet service.
"One of the neighbours had to get in their vehicle and drive for quite a while before they could find a signal to call 9-1-1."
Short-term Solutions
Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta, Michael McNally, said proactively working together could get many people online a lot faster. "One simple and cost-effective approach for broadband is what's known as dig once," McNally said. "Anytime you have an infrastructure project, you add a small piece of empty conduit, it's just an empty little plastic tube, and by putting that tube in now, you can always fill it with more fibre optic cable later on. That makes the cost of broadband deployments much cheaper." The “dig once” idea is in Recommendation #39 in the RCTF final report. 39. Increase the accessibility of the “dig once” policy to allow smaller providers to also lay fibre in new developments and when lines are being replaced.
Reasons for Change
Bill Prybylski farms west of Yorkton, SK, and is a member of the RCTF. His farm doesn't have issues with cellular service, but it's a different story when it comes to internet access, which is why he joined the Task Force. Prybylski said the concerns around connectivity grow as technology advances. Prybylski said his five combines can connect to a technician online who will diagnose any problems with the machine, a process that relies on fast and reliable internet access. "At harvest, time is a precious commodity that we can't afford to lose," Prybylski said. "If we have a combine sitting for any length of time because we can't connect to the technician, that's worth a lot to my business." Prybylski's daughter, Tracy Prybylski, is a film student at the University of Regina. All her courses are online, but Tracy can't live on her family farm because of the slow internet connection. Instead, Tracy must live in Regina and pay for housing to access her online classes. "We use Zoom every single day for all of my classes, and that requires a solid internet connection to clearly hear what the professor is saying," Tracy said.
"At harvest, time is a precious commodity that we can't afford to lose. If we have a combine sitting for any length of time because we can't connect to the technician, that's worth a lot to my business."
01
Save money and enhance capacity by ensuring that all levels of government use a “dig once” policy to coordinate their utility and infrastructure upgrades to put more fibre optic cable into the ground when other services are being upgraded.
02
Ensure that service providers have easier access to related infrastructure (e.g., telephone poles).
03
Create and enforce policies that ensure a timely response when third parties request access to data transport facilities.
04
Grant CRTC jurisdiction under The Telecommunications Act for setting rates and resolving disputes regarding access to electrical utility poles and ducts, when related to telecommunications use (as outlined in the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review).
05
Vary competition policies to fit smaller markets.
06
Investigate the potential for provincially and municipally owned buildings and infrastructure to be used as passive infrastructure for service deployment.
Too many cooks in the kitchen
07
Work to further coordinate connectivity funding across government into a single agency, with a streamlined application process for ease of access to funding.
08
Encourage the federal government to select a dedicated agency or office responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of a simplified funding structure.
09
Clarify the role of CRTC and ISED to reduce regulatory overlap, and create greater transparency, accountability, and cooperation.
The Importance of Smaller Service Providers
10
Reduce spectrum fees for new entrants and smaller providers.
11
Where technically feasible, consider reducing the size of spectrum tiers to ensure that service is provided in areas that are not the most profitable.
12
Improve access to federal connectivity funding by lowering the threshold for eligible projects and allowing multiple projects in a single application.
13
Adjust the rules to better allow municipalities to access the Broadband Fund to build and operationalize local networks.
14
Dedicate a minimum of 15% of funding to small providers.
15
Require the CRTC to reverse the stay on wholesale rates for high-speed internet.
Optimizing Public Resources
16
Ensure that available spectrum is made available to rural communities first since they are most in need of wireless service.
17
Improve the rules and regulations associated with spectrum auctions to better support the goal of universal minimum service as defined by the CRTC, by:
a. Ensuring that all roll-out conditions prioritize universal access and are enforced. b. Enforcing the “use it or lose it” provision to make sure that all spectrum is used. c. Ensuring that an adequate amount of spectrum is set aside for non-incumbents (i.e., smaller service providers) to be active and successful in the market. d. Ensuring that future revenue generated through spectrum auctions be used for connectivity funding to ensure universal access for all Canadians.
18
Investigate the possibility of reallocating existing underused spectrum, such as bands in the 3-5 Ghz
19
Ensure that funding is allocated based on the greatest need and impact for rural communities, while ensuring that the process for allocating funds is transparent.
20
Ensure that when public funds are used to build projects that additional fibre is laid to help guarantee future capacity.
21
Require service providers to provide wholesale access to their networks when public funds are used to build projects.
22
Expand the powers of the CRTC to ensure compliance from service providers, such as improved information sharing with the Competition Bureau.
23
Re-establish a new High Cost Service Area fund for high-speed internet, and ensure that the funding formula allows for the creation of a sustainable business environment in rural areas.
24
When adjudicating connectivity funding applications, include an evaluation of the economic spin-offs and growth from broadband deployment.
Regaining and Retaining Canadian Excellence
25
Expand the “Shovel-Ready” stream of the Universal Broadband Fund, which is designed to allow service providers to move forward quickly on projects that are ready to go.
26
In consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic, revaluate and shorten the timetable laid out in the Canada Connectivity Strategy to ensure that 100% of Canadians are connected as soon as possible.
27
Consider adopting a timeline for the regular review and renewal of the target broadband speeds, and consider expanding metrics to include latency, cost parity between urban and rural areas, and network performance.
28
Ensure accountability by requiring that ISED publish an annual report outlining the progress made towards achieving universal high-speed internet access. This report should outline progress on: - Upload and download speeds - Latency - Consumer cost
29
Revaluate the total funding committed to Canada’s connectivity programs in 2022 and commit additional funds if needed to ensure that Canada exceeds its connectivity targets.
Taking Control of the Saskatchewan Advantage
30
Reduce SaskTel’s dividend transferred to the Government of Saskatchewan and redirect the revenue to service deployment.
31
Clarify the mandate of SaskTel to better understand their role and responsibility to connect rural Saskatchewan.
32
Ensure immediate negotiations between SaskTel and Telesat to use the Universal Broadband Fund to ensure service to Saskatchewan’s 400+ communities with no fibre optic service.
33
Ensure that fibre optic service is deployed to the 434 Saskatchewan communities that do not have access to a fibre network.
34
Recharacterize SaskTel in the CRTC’s annual Communications Monitoring Report to more accurately report on Saskatchewan’s unique market conditions.
35
Recharacterize SaskTel in the CRTC’s annual Communications Monitoring Report to more accurately report on Saskatchewan’s unique market conditions.
36
Encourage SaskTel to immediately reach out to Saskatchewan’s small providers and engage them in discussion on how they can work together to provide service at a reasonable rate to rural and underserved residents.
37
Ensure that the Minister Responsible for SaskTel produces an annual report for the Government of Saskatchewan on the progress of bridging the digital divide and the Saskatchewan Broadband Strategy.
38
Ensure that when public funds are used to build projects that additional fibre is laid to help guarantee future capacity.
39
Increase the accessibility of the “dig once” policy to allow smaller providers to also lay fibre in new developments and when lines are being replaced.
40
Conduct a third-party investigation into the SaskPower and SaskTel fibre networks to ensure that both are being used to best deliver service to Saskatchewan.
41
Undertake a provincially-funded study on the economic potential that could be unlocked by expanding broadband coverage. Use existing research institutions such as the University of Regina or University of Saskatchewan.
Consumer Protection
42
Ensure affordable and accessible service to rural customers by establishing basic minimum standards for service and rates.
Possible Future Considerations
43
Allow for higher effective radiated power (ERP) limits in rural and remote areas where it does not create significant interference.
