As you are likely aware, there are two major broadband
infrastructure projects underway in Sault Ste Marie. Bell is installing its Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH)
technology under the marketing name Fibe and
Shaw is installing literally hundreds of Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the city under
the marketing name Shaw Go WiFi.
At the moment, these new service offerings are “closed”
networks in that you must sign up for service from either Bell or Shaw to gain
access to the network infrastructure as a user.
This is unlike the existing wireline services such as DSL and cable
which are “open” networks in that a third party network operator can purchase wholesale
network capapcity and resell it to end users.
This closed network approach may be subject to change in the
not too distant future.
In his keynote speech at
the recently concluded Canadian Telecom
Summit in Toronto, the Chairman of the CRTC, Mr. Jean-Pierre Blais indicated
that the CRTC would be conducting a number of reviews of telecom policy over the
next few years. In particular “Another
review will explore whether additional wholesale high-speed access services
should be mandated, including fibre-to-the-premise facilities. We will hold a
proceeding to determine whether competitors should have mandated access to
these high-speed fibre networks—and, if so, when, where and at what cost.”
This has all the potential to develop into a real cat fight
as the vendors will likely fight tooth and nail to keep their networks closed.
Mr Blais also addressed the question of what broadband
download speeds Canadians should expect.
The CRTC last indentified the target speed standards in 2011 as “…by the end of 2015, the CRTC expects all
Canadians to have access to broadband speeds of at least 5 megabits per second
(Mbps) for downloads and 1 Mbps for uploads. This is the minimum speed we believe
Canadians should be able to receive.” Good
luck in attaining this goal in many parts of rural Ontario unless additional
fibre optic backbone infrastructure is rolled out.
Mr. Blais added “It’s time to prepare to take another look
at our basic service objective, something we will do in 2014-2015.” He gave fair warning to the vendors by asking
“Should broadband be considered a basic
service for Canadians across the country?
That’s one of the key
questions we will be asking when we start our review. We will also look at
whether there should be changes to the subsidy regime and national contribution
mechanism.”
If broadband is eventually classified as a “basic service“ then
it will be considered the same as telephone and dial-up Internet connectivity which
are currently classified as a basic services.
Mr. Blais continues to expand his growing reputation as a
consumer centered Chairman. His handling
of the Wireless Code process and hearings was praise by both industry and consumers,
an experience that must have felt strange to old time CRTC staffers who were
often berated as industry insiders.
