Government’s Key Digital Strategy is Disorganized

Government needs to open its doors to Canadians – not big telecoms

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 17, 2010

Recent confusion over Community Access Program (CAP) funding highlights the Government’s lack of clear direction and understanding regarding digital strategy policy. Yesterday, Industry Minister Tony Clement reversed the previous Government's slated cuts to CAP sites.

As many Canadians are aware, CAP sites received letters from Industry Canada last week stating that government funds would be cut off as of April 1st. CAP provides thousands of Canadians with affordable access to broadband Internet, especially in rural areas. The program plays a crucial role in combating the Digital Divide, and it also provides many underemployed and unemployed Canadians, like students and recent graduates, with employment opportunities.

Industry Canada stated that they would cut off funding to sites that have access to libraries within a 25-kilometre radius. After these cuts were made public, many Canadians became outraged. Now, Clement has stated that these cuts are not happening, and that there was a funding envelope misunderstanding This mishap draws into question the competence of the Canadian government with respect to digital strategy policy and it also shows disregard for Canadians living in rural areas.

OpenMedia.ca’s National Coordinator, Steve Anderson said this afternoon, “The Government is having closed door meetings with telecommunication lobbyists and they’re not consulting Canadians before making decisions. This misunderstanding shows how out-of-touch they are with what Canadians want regarding digital strategy.”

Anderson added, "The proposed cuts to CAP funding are exactly the opposite of what Canada needs regarding broadband speed and access. This sort of disorganization should be disconcerting to all Canadians who care about fairness and our economy."

Background:

In recent years, Canada has gone from a leader in Internet technology and adoption to what many consider an Internet laggard. Canada has fallen behind many European and Asian countries in terms of Internet access, speed, and cost, moving us from 2nd to 10th place within the 30 OECD countries. Our broadband connection speeds have also fallen below the OECD average, and we rank 27th in terms of cost versus speed.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Industry Minister Tony Clement have had closed-door meetings with representatives from the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC). ITAC is Canada's most powerful lobby group for the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. Between January and November 2009, ITAC reported 21 meetings with top federal officials and cabinet ministers involved in developing national digital strategy policies.

Contact:

Steve Anderson
OpenMedia.ca
National Coordinator
604-837-5730
[email protected]