Do you have fast\u00a0internet\u00a0at home?\u00a0In your public library?\u00a0Able to watch Netflix,\u00a0YouTube, or use Skype with the video turned on? Listen to a music streaming service? Game online? If so, consider yourself lucky–and likely a resident of one of British\u00a0Columbia’s metropolitan areas. Because even though it’s 2017, the Digital Divide is still a real thing in many parts of BC (and throughout\u00a0the country). But a recent ruling by the\u00a0Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission\u00a0(CRTC)\u2014which declared broadband\u00a0internet\u00a0access a basic service in Canada\u2014may be a sign that this will change. Eventually. Maybe.<\/p>\n
As recently as 2011, the CRTC had as a national target for \u201chigh speed internet\u201d 5 Mbps (megabits per second) downloads and 1 Mbps uploads.[1]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0The BC government followed suit, choosing 5 down\/1 up as the basis for its definition of \u201chigh speed internet\u201d goals too. Even at the time, it was definitely arguable that this was setting the bar pretty low. In theory,\u00a0one might be able to stream video over this connection; in practice, results varied widely.<\/p>\n And as the base speed for an entire library instead of a single household?\u00a0The\u00a0BC Libraries Cooperative\u00a0has\u00a0been following the very conservative Library Edge benchmark speeds as a target for libraries.[2]<\/sup><\/a> These stipulate\u00a0that\u00a0each library\u00a0internet\u00a0user be allocated minimum bandwidth at the rate of 0.5\u00a0Mbps\u00a0for uploading and 1\u00a0Mbps\u00a0for downloading. Based on this, even the smallest of libraries would find the minimum 5\/1\u00a0internet\u00a0connections challenging.\u00a0The\u00a0Co-op\u00a0has\u00a0surveyed public library members repeatedly about their library’s\u00a0internet\u00a0connection and identified 35 branches across the province whose connections\u00a0still do not meet even the older 5 Mbps down\/1 Mbps up.\u00a0The Co-op\u00a0uses\u00a0this information and other analysis to tell the story of public library connectivity challenges, and to help identify solutions<\/a>.<\/p>\n CRTC Decision a Target, not a Mandate<\/strong><\/p>\n But on\u00a0Dec.\u00a021, 2016, the CRTC released a decision[3]<\/sup><\/a> regarding its review of basic telecommunications services,[4]<\/sup><\/a> which signals things may finally change. This ruling determined that broadband\u00a0internet\u00a0service must be a \u201cuniversal service objective,\u201d accessible to\u00a0all<\/i>\u00a0Canadians, regardless of location\u2014giving it the same status basic phone service had in the past. The ruling also set targets for minimum effective speeds of 50\u00a0Mbps\u00a0download and 10\u00a0Mbps\u00a0upload for fixed broadband internet services, with a goal of having such connections available to 90\u00a0percent\u00a0of Canadians by 2021, and the remaining 10\u00a0percent\u00a0by 2031 at the latest. Just over 80\u00a0percent\u00a0of Canadians can currently get\u00a0internet\u00a0connections at these speeds.<\/p>\n All of which seems worth celebrating![5]<\/sup><\/a> In addition to being fast enough for real-life use cases, the thresholds are also high enough that they likely can\u2019t be met by expensive satellite connections, the only thing\u00a0making\u00a0the existing claims of broadband availability sound better than they actually are. Also, the CRTC shifted the existing $100 million local voice service subsidy to a fund to further develop broadband capacity, in addition to mandating a portion of future\u00a0telco\u00a0profits\u00a0be directed to this fund, creating a not insignificant resource to assist in meeting these targets.<\/p>\n But\u00a0the devil is in the details. As a number of commentators have pointed out,[6]<\/a>[7]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0the\u00a0CRTC’s\u00a0decision represents a target, not a mandate. Further, a target for which any new resources look to heavily favour existing major\u00a0telcos\u00a0(those with \u201cprior experience\u201d), a disappointment to any who champion civic networking initiatives[8]<\/sup><\/a> or the old-fashioned belief that democratically elected governments have an important role in the provision of major infrastructure. Finally, the CRTC in this decision largely remains silent on the issue of cost to the consumer; while there is undoubtedly room down the road for further rulings, this one did not specify the cost to rural users these broadband targets had to meet. So while the decision may represent a signpost to the future, it doesn’t necessarily represent a map, and existing denizens of the Digital Divide might be excused for thinking they’ve heard promises of better\u00a0internet\u00a0before.<\/p>\n There is still much to unfold from this decision. The committees to determine quality of service thresholds and the process for vetting applicants to the newly created development fund are still in the works. It’s entirely possible that it\u00a0will\u00a0take a couple of years before we start to see tangible results from this process.<\/p>\n So where does this leave BC\u2019s public libraries? What can you do? Well,\u00a0if\u00a0your library is currently below the new 50\/10 threshold, and such connectivity is not available in your region, let people who want to help know:\u00a0Let your trustees know about the new basic standard as prescribed by the CRTC; participate in the next BC Libraries Cooperative connectivity survey; talk with your municipality and other civic entities in your community (schools, colleges, museums, etc.) about their own plans for higher speed internet. There may be solutions for your library through community collaboration. And keep making the case for the library as a critical access point in communities!<\/p>\n Scott\u00a0Leslie<\/strong> is Systems Manager at the BC Libraries Cooperative.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Do you have fast\u00a0internet\u00a0at home?\u00a0In your public library?\u00a0Able to watch Netflix,\u00a0YouTube, or use Skype with the video turned on? Listen to a music streaming service? Game online? If so, consider yourself lucky–and likely a resident of one of British\u00a0Columbia’s metropolitan areas. Because even though it’s 2017, the Digital Divide is still a real thing in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4233,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[123,120],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-issue-1-volume-9-2017","category-volume-9-2017"],"yoast_head":"\n
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