Remote and Indigenous Broadband: A Comparison of Canadian and US Initiatives and Indigenous Engagement

Abstract

This paper compares funding and other policies for broadband for rural and Indigenous regions initiated by the Canadian and US regulators and policy agencies. In 2016, the CRTC determined that broadband was to be considered a basic service available to all Canadians and set targets for universal broadband at 50 mbps download and 10 mbps upload speed. The Commission also recognized that public sector funding could be required to accomplish the goal of extending broadband to rural and remote regions, but deferred addressing specifics of a broadband fund. In 2019, the CRTC initiated a consultation on draft criteria for a broadband fund. It then published a call for proposals and has provided funding for several projects. Based on comments from small and Indigenous providers who participated in the consultation, the CRTC opened a further proceeding on barriers to deployment of broadband and then on regulatory measures to make access to poles and other existing terrestrial infrastructure more efficient. In the U.S., among FCC broadband funding programs that include rural and Tribal regions are the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, which will commit at least $20.4 billion over the next decade to support high-speed broadband networks in rural America (approved in 2020 by the previous administration) and the Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund, a broadband subsidy for consumers, announced in January 2021. The FCC also opened a Rural Tribal Priority Window for licenses to use 2.5 GHz spectrum for networks on Tribal lands in 2020. This paper compares the issues raised and policies adopted or proposed by the CRTC and the FCC concerning remote and Indigenous broadband access and affordability, and activities related to Indigenous engagement in policy and regulatory issues in each country. It concludes with lessons from the Canadian and US regulatory experience that can be relevant for rural and Indigenous regions in other countries.