Tignish MLA wants hard targets for rural internet upgrades
Hal Perry says Green leader has been ‘holding up’ private member’s bill
A bill that would commit the province to a legislated timeline to provide broadband internet to rural Islanders has been embroiled in fractious debate between the Opposition Greens and Liberals for three weeks.
The private member’s bill, the Broadband is an Essential Service act, was introduced by Liberal MLA Hal Perry. The bill would commit the province to a deadline of June 30, 2022, for the delivery of broadband internet for 95 per cent of P.E.I. residents. It would also set a deadline of 2025 for the delivery of broadband to all Islanders.
The bill defines broadband speed as 50 megabits per second (mbs) download and 10 megabits per second (mbs) upload, the definition used by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). If passed, it would also commit the province to provide public updates to its strategy to provide broadband every two years.
P.E.I. has signed contracts with Bell Canada and Xplornet Communications Inc. to improve broadband connectivity to 30,000 Island households. P.E.I.’s Economic Growth Minister Matt MacKay has pledged to deliver broadband to all households by 2023.
But none of these timelines is set out in legislation.
"What this basically is doing, is holding (government) to a definite timeline. And it's accountability and it's also law," Perry said in an interview.
“Islanders – they can plan ahead. We've never had that before."
Debate over the bill has seen a number of heated exchanges between Perry and Green Opposition Leader Peter Bevan-Baker, who has been a frequent advocate for improved rural internet.
On Wednesday, four amendments to the bill were introduced by Bevan-Baker. One defined a “resident” as an individual who normally makes their home in P.E.I. but excludes tourists, members of the Canadian Forces and students who normally reside elsewhere. This amendment was defeated.
Another amendment changed the definition of “high-speed internet” to include faster speeds defined by the CRTC in the future.
Two other amendments were not debated on the floor.
During debate, MacKay expressed some concern about not receiving the amendments in a timely manner and said he had only been in possession of them for a few hours.
In an interview on Thursday, Perry said he believed the amendments and questions by Bevan-Baker have “held up” the bill.
"One day he's saying, 'it's a good bill, I support it,'” Perry said.
“Then the next time you turn around, just out of the blue, he's dragging his heels and stalling it and comes out with four amendments."
Perry suggested the amendment changing the definition of high-speed internet would complicate the bill. The province’s contracts with Bell and Xplornet are linked to the current 50 mbs download, 10 mbs upload speeds for broadband.
"He's scratching at this bill and trying to get a little bit of Green colour into it," Perry said.
In a member’s statement read by Bevan-Baker on Thursday, he suggested his amendments were intended to improve Perry’s bill. He said he supported it.
“It is our duty, as we carry out this work, to do it carefully and precisely. We must produce high quality legislation,” Bevan-Baker said.
“There are some parts of the bill that are ambiguous, and as written, the demands on government are actually less than what they have already committed to. I brought forward amendments to change this and to strengthen the bill so that it actually holds government to account.”