CRTC Chair Jean-Pierre Blais spoke last Friday at the annual dinner for the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC). In his address he made a number of important points that merit highlighting.
the public interest is much bigger and more complex than just looking after the interests of individual Canadian consumers. We must also consider the needs of Canadians as citizens and creators.
The Chair went on to explain that cost considerations are broader than just the rates paid by individual Canadians, but also include businesses. And he raised the issue of healthy competition and the Commission’s understanding that profit isn’t a dirty word:
This demands healthy competition among multiple service providers—all across the country, not just in major populated areas. In turn, this requires that businesses be able to profit from their efforts and investments. Having a fair chance to make a return on investment is crucial to encourage, and underwrite, innovation. That’s what leads to job creation and builds the foundation for our country’s economic future.
Of course, I was especially interested in his comments about the evolution of the basic service obligation:
In light of the growing importance of broadband to all aspects of Canadians’ lives, I can foresee the day when universal access to broadband will form part of the definition.
Thanks to investment by alternate service providers, virtually all Canadians have access to broadband services. Affordability is another matter. As I have written many times, affordable broadband service is a problem for urban and rural Canadians. Indeed, there are more Canadians in urban households who can’t afford broadband than those in remote and rural settings.
Will 2013 bring an increased examination of solutions to deliver broadband connections to all Canadians?