WHITEHORSE – Officials from the Northwest Territories government recommended the CRTC adopt two affordability streams to address higher telecommunications prices in the far north.
The officials said Monday the CRTC should consider having both a low-income subsidy and a universal service subsidy to deal with higher prices in the region.
The government officials expressed disappointment that Northwestel, the Bell subsidiary that is the dominant provider in the region, is not participating in the Connecting Families initiative – a service provider effort to get eligible households on discounted internet services.
The officials said the regional government is open for the subsidies to be delivered either directly to consumers or to the telecoms. The speeds should meet, at a minimum, the federal standard of 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload, they said.
The NWT officials said affordability is the single-most talked about issue in its communities.
Affordability is just one of the major themes the CRTC will explore during the five-day long hearing on telecommunications services in the far north. It will also address wholesale rates and network resiliency, both of which are the subject of current proceedings.
As part of its review of its $750-million Broadband Fund, the CRTC has already asked about whether it should implement an indigenous-focused stream for the fund.
