p2pnet - rss feed: Canada’s broadband needs
p2p news / p2pnet:- Canada needs broadband across the country, especially in remote and isolated communities, says Canadian industry minister David Emerson.
Visiting Toronto as part of a speaking tour, yesterday, “Telecommunications and broadband technology are the most transformative technologies of our generation,” he said.
“It is the infrastructure that connects us with the global information economy. Canadians without high-speed access to the Internet will be increasingly out of the game… in terms of economic opportunities, education and even health care.”
ICT-related investments Canada and other countries are estimated to account for 75% percent of recent productivity improvements, said Emerson, but, “evidence shows we’re still falling short of the US.”
Broadband is already in hundreds of communities and the government has supported super broadband connectivity among schools, universities and research organizations in Canada and internationally, Emerson stated.
Unfortunately, however, “our high international ranking has begun slipping,” he said.
“It is absolutely essential that broadband access be extended further into remote and isolated communities. Without Internet access today, people and communities are simply not in the game. They’re not able to join the economic mainstream, or even to fully access opportunities for health care and education.”
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September 22nd, 2005 at 8:14 pm
Here in the province of Saskatchewan, Sasktel has been doing it’s part to supply wireless high speed internet access in the more rural areas of the province. The most recent maps I’ve seen show that there should be fairly good coverage by the year 2007, with the highest concentrations extending a fair size outside all the major cities. Download speed is supposed to be 2 Mbps, but I have no idea what upload speeds are. I never would have moved out of the city I live in since I refuse to live without access, but I’m hoping in the future maybe I can. I’m so sick of living in an apartment complex. A house in some quiet secluded spot just outside of town would be perfect.