CRTC Takes Action to Enhance Internet Reliability and Affordability in Northern Canada

January 16, 2025 TruthUSA

Canada’s telecommunications regulator is focused on enhancing internet reliability and affordability for residents in Northern Canada.

The CRTC is mandating Northwestel Inc., the provider of phone, internet, and television services in Canada’s north, to automatically reduce customers’ bills in cases where internet services are disrupted for 24 hours or more.

Moreover, the CRTC aims to promote competition by facilitating other service providers to utilize Northwestel’s network for offering services to customers.

With the launch of a new public consultation, the CRTC is working towards developing a subsidy program to improve affordability, making internet services in the Far North more accessible financially, aligning them closer with rates in other parts of the country. The consultation period is open until Feb. 18.

This initiative follows a previous consultation by the CRTC regarding telecommunications improvements in the Far North, which commenced in November 2020.

Vicky Eatrides, the chairperson of CRTC, noted that during the review, challenges faced by residents in the Far North in accessing internet services were highlighted, affecting daily activities like online learning, as well as the ability to access healthcare and emergency services.