Rural broadband plan in the works: minister

If he were a betting man, the minister in charge of Alberta’s rural broadband network strategy reckons you’ll see a plan in the fall.

MLA Brian Malkinson was handed the Service Alberta file in a recent cabinet shuffle by Premier Rachel Notley.

The broadband strategy is one of her major expectations for the new minister, and Malkinson told Postmedia he wants to see high-speed internet for rural Alberta “sooner, rather than later.”

But the key is developing a plan that will continue to be relevant even as internet usage soars.

“Rural broadband isn’t a luxury,” he said in a recent interview.

DEVELOPING A PLAN

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) recently declared that well-developed broadband infrastructure is essential for Canadians to participate in the digital economy.

By the end of 2021, it expects 90 per cent of Canadian homes and businesses to have access to broadband speeds of at least 50 MBps for downloads and 10 MBps for uploads.

With the internet speed gauntlet thrown by the CRTC, provinces and territories are now wrestling with exactly how to meet those targets in the great expanse of land that is rural and remote Canada.

“We’re using that as a starting point, because internet usage tends to go up as time goes on, not down. With any broadband strategy, we have to keep that in mind,” Malkinson said.

As it works to develop its plan, the Alberta government is consulting with municipalities, businesses and internet service providers to follow up on surveys sent out earlier this year.

The government is also in talks with Indigenous communities about their specific needs.

“I think Indigenous communities have historically perhaps been a bit of an afterthought on these policies, so we’re hoping to work with (them) to maximize what works for their particular communities,” Malkinson said.

Malkinson said it’s too early to know exactly what will be in the Alberta broadband strategy, or how much it might cost.

“We’re aiming to get it right. We know rural broadband will be important to Alberta’s future and we’re serious about getting that done,” he said.

“It doesn’t mean rural Albertans will have fast internet tomorrow, but we want to make sure that ... we have something we feel is the best possible way forward.”