The struggle for affordable internet in remote Canada – IRPP

August 8, 2024

Data caps and overage fees perpetuate a spiral of digital inequality. The infrastructure is improving, but more attention to affordability is needed.

Imagine streaming this year’s Stanley Cup finals and having to monitor how many minutes of the game you can watch before data overage charges kick in. Or cutting an online work meeting short because of the excessive costs of continuing a video call.

These issues – unfathomable to most people in urban Canada – have been a fact of life for people in rural, remote and Northern communities, where the cost of home internet can be prohibitively expensive.

These are regions where brick and mortar services are often unavailable, and people might only travel to an urban centre a few times a year. As more activities move online since the COVID-19 pandemic, internet access has become an essential service that many Northern households cannot afford.