Provincial Broadband & Connectivity Act
Category: Technology — Technology
Summary
Bring high-speed internet to all rural and remote communities within 5 years.
What this proposal changes
- Establishes a BC Connectivity Authority with mandate to achieve universal 50/10 Mbps service across all BC communities by 2029.
- Funds last-mile fibre and fixed-wireless infrastructure in unserved and underserved communities through a BC Connectivity Fund.
- Requires telecommunications companies receiving provincial subsidies to offer affordable plans meeting a provincial affordability standard.
- Creates a BC Digital Equity Program to fund devices, digital literacy training, and subsidised connectivity for low-income households.
Arguments for
- Remote and Indigenous communities without reliable connectivity are excluded from telehealth, remote education, and the digital economy — connectivity is now a basic service.
- Provincial coordination prevents duplication of federal and provincial investments that has historically left communities unserved while funded twice.
- Affordable-plan requirements ensure infrastructure investment translates into actual access rather than high-priced service.
Arguments against
- Last-mile fibre deployment in BC's mountainous and remote terrain is among the most expensive in Canada, with costs of $50,000–$100,000+ per connection in some communities.
- Telecommunications is a federal regulatory domain; provincial authority to mandate affordability standards for federally regulated carriers may be legally constrained.
- BC Connectivity Authority duplicates existing federal-provincial coordination mechanisms without clear mandate differentiation.
Cost & implementation
BC Connectivity Fund: $500 million–$1 billion over five years, leveraging federal ISED and CRTC contributions. Digital Equity Program: $50–100 million. Authority administration: $15–25 million annually.
Jurisdiction & legal authority
Telecommunications regulation is primarily federal under the Telecommunications Act. Provinces have jurisdiction over publicly owned infrastructure. Federal-provincial funding agreements govern most rural connectivity programs.
How to vote
Visit cascadia.vote/questions/pnwc-A21 to cast your vote: Yes, No, or Maybe.
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