Rogers newest video, “Next is Now … More than Ever” offers a fast paced and often entertaining look at statistics that speak to how much Canadians value the Internet, smart appliances, the multi-screen experience with TVs and tablets, smartphone usage, digital wallets, and the resultant impact on health, government, education, and shopping.
A week ago, in its Rogers Innovation Report, we saw a preview of some of the data behind this video. Be sure to watch it.
Some of the factoids have important market implications. Many of these trends will be explored in depth in various sessions at The Canadian Telecom Summit from June 4-6.
Think about what it means that “54% now watch movies and TV on computers and the majority of tablet owners watch TV and tablets… at the same time.“ On June 5, our multi-screen panel will look at this and more with speakers Phil Hartling from Rogers, Paul Brannen from Samsung, Chris Hodgson from Google and Gary Schwartz from Impact Mobile and moderator Mike Abramsky.
Almost exactly halfway through the video, there is a snippet that struck me as most important for Canada’s national digital strategy: “For the first time in history, teens now do homework online as much as offline“.
I paused the video on that frame.
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I have been troubled by our collective failure to get computers into the homes of low income Canadians, especially households with school aged children.
As a country, we now have broadband service in nearly every home that has a computer; thanks to government initiatives and private sector leadership, we have access to a broadband service in even the most remote parts of the country. Yet half of all households in the lowest income quintile don’t have a computer, and therefore have no need for a broadband connection.
We need One Million Computers to bridge the digital divide. We need a Canadian carrier to step up to offer a program to connect low income households, similar to a program that has been launched in the US. The US has demonstrated that the government doesn’t need to throw money at this; but we need leadership.
Perhaps the Industry Minister will add such a program to the long delayed national digital strategy.
Perhaps the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development can lead with this under training and social services initiatives.
Perhaps the CRTC can explore a program for low income households with children when reviewing public benefits for broadcasting.
Or maybe we’ll find one of the industry participants to take it on themselves because it is the right thing to do – and it may even turn out to be profitable.
As the video shows, there are 20,000 educational apps that some kids can’t access as easily as others; three times more learning apps than colleges and universities in North America. It bothers me that there are kids in our city schools who don’t have access to these technologies. Kids who can’t benefit from these same opportunities that most Canadian households enjoy.
The video demonstrates the vision of continued growth, evolution and development for communications services and information technology providers. More bits, flying faster, with even greater reliance on new technologies and integrated services for work, school, shopping and play time.
As the Rogers video shows, next is now, more than ever. How can we help “next” to come now for all Canadians?
Four weeks from now, we will mark 20 years since the CRTC’s landmark Decision 92-12, “Competition in the provision of public long distance voice telephone services and related resale and sharing issues.”
I was the lead-off witness in the hearing that led to that Decision. It was the job that brought me back to Canada and I am grateful for that career decision.
Hard as it may be to imagine, among the issues we had to deal with was convincing the CRTC that competition itself was in the public interest. The Commission made the right decision:
Based on a thorough assessment of all of the information presented, the Commission has concluded that increased competition, subject to the appropriate terms and conditions, would be in the public interest.
The printed version of the Decision was more than 200 pages in each official language.
You should take a fresh look at the Decision. You may be surprised at the types of issues that needed to be settled: competitive safeguards, industry standards, access to emergency services and more. The decision gave birth to CISC processes and carrier services groups.
The very first Canadian Telecom Summit took place 10 years ago. The event was called “Celebrating 10 Years of Telecom Competition“. On June 12, we will be marking the 20th anniversary of that Decision. It is sometimes surprising how many issues continue to arise that we sought to resolve a generation ago.
We’ll mark the anniversary at this year’s Summit (coming up in less than 3 weeks), but our focus will be more forward looking. The theme this year is “Competition and Innovation: Celebrating our Legacy, Developing the Future“. Once again, we have speakers who are the most influential in leading the development and evolution of Canada’s communications sector.
The Canadian Telecom Summit is where representatives of all constituencies of Canada’s dynamic Telecom, Broadcasting and IT Industries gather to learn, exchange viewpoints, conduct business and offer & receive opinion.
These are 3 days well-spent, where services (current & future), technology (current & future), competitive issues, enunciation of broad visions, identification of major trends and establishment of policy are all on the table to be discussed and debated.
Decision makers and key influencers will be there. You need to be as well!
The Canadian Telecom Summit gives you the opportunity not only to hear from leading ICT executives but also to interact with them, not only to listen but also to influence.
Despite weighing in at roughly 50 pages, the report is disappointingly light in substantive analysis. Indeed, the NDP provided a supplementary opinion that appeared more thoughtful in its brief 5 pages. The report looks at inhibitors to e-commerce adoption in Canada and it recommends ways to reduce “red tape” while simultaneously calling for bringing the Canada’s anti-spam bill into force, all the while not recognizing the impact that the legislation will have on communications from small businesses.
The Appendix A of the Report provides a summary of reports and programs that could impact e-commerce in Canada. Among the 10 items was the long overdue National Digital Strategy. The section starts with a description:
Based on the priorities identified in the 2010 Speech from the Throne and Budget 2010, the Government of Canada began a national consultation in May 2010 to solicit input on how to return Canada to a position of global leadership in the digital economy. The findings of the consultation were presented in Improving Canada’s Digital Advantage: Strategies for Sustainable Prosperity
On reading this, I thought I had missed the release of the consultation’s findings. The link to the document in the INDU report was broken, so perhaps that is why the Committee didn’t realize that this wasn’t a release of findings. That report can be found in the archives as the original consultation document. It seems to me that an official report from a Parliamentary Committee shouldn’t have such obvious errors in it.
Leading off the list of reports in the Appendix was “Innovation Canada: A Call to Action” which is better known as the Jenkins Report. Tom Jenkins, the chair of the expert panel on innovation, will be the closing speaker for The 2012 Canadian Telecom Summit. You should be there.
There is no other event quite like it. For 3 days, the leading stakeholders in Canada’s communications and IT sectors get together to review where we have been and discuss directions for the future.
Now in its 11th year, The Canadian Telecom Summit has grown to become Canada’s most important annual telecommunications & IT event, attracting hundreds of attendees from around the world. No other event presents a complete picture of current and expected trends & developments. No other event matches The 2012 Canadian Telecom Summit for the depth and breadth of topics covered and issues debated.
Alone, any of our 18 keynoters would be worth taking the time to listen to. The Canadian Telecom Summit brings you all them – and more than 50 panelists – over 3 unmatched days of presentations, discussions, idea sharing, relationship forming and deal making. With so many leaders gathered together in one place, a lot of business deals get done. Issues get reviewed in formal discussions in our business centre (sponsored by PwC), or over an espresso (sponsored by Allstream).
Come see why The Canadian Telecom Summit has become a must-attend conference. With more opportunities than ever to learn, network and do business, if you are involved with or impacted by Canadian telecommunications, broadcasting or information technology, you need to be at The 2012 Canadian Telecom Summit.
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