The CRTC’s Communications Monitoring Report was released earlier today, providing a good snap shot of where we are standing – or at least where we were standing when the snap shot was taken.
The CRTC provides some information about adoption of communications services based on income, although the data is a year older because of limitations in the information source from Statistics Canada. As I have written continuously on these pages, more attention needs to be placed on how Canada can increase the affordability of information and communications services and technologies in low income households. It is encouraging to see the CRTC tracking this information. In particular, I was interested in Table 2.2.9, showing Monthly household communications expenditures, by service and by income quintile.
| Service ($/month/household) |
Lowest quintile | Second quintile | Third quintile | Fourth quintile | Highest quintile | All classes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wireline telephone | 2011 | 33.91 | 33.51 | 37.01 | 42.56 | 42.39 | 37.66 |
| 2012 | 29.06 | 33.05 | 34.28 | 37.18 | 40.73 | 34.86 | |
| Percentage change | -14.3 | -1.4 | -7.4 | -12.6 | -3.9 | -7.4 | |
| Wireless | 2011 | 31.58 | 43.33 | 58.25 | 73.00 | 98.50 | 60.92 |
| 2012 | 32.92 | 48.58 | 67.92 | 80.42 | 107.08 | 67.42 | |
| Percentage change | 4.2 | 12.1 | 16.6 | 10.2 | 8.7 | 10.7 | |
| Internet | 2011 | 18.45 | 25.47 | 31.80 | 34.65 | 39.28 | 29.95 |
| 2012 | 21.42 | 26.49 | 33.03 | 35.64 | 40.32 | 30.95 | |
| Percentage change | 16.1 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 3.3 | |
| Cable and DTH |
2011 | 37.99 | 45.76 | 52.09 | 59.35 | 67.11 | 52.42 |
| 2012 | 35.55 | 46.93 | 51.79 | 55.95 | 70.00 | 52.02 | |
| Percentage change | -6.4 | 2.6 | -0.6 | -5.7 | 4.3 | -0.8 | |
| Total communications | 2011 | 121.75 | 148.03 | 179.26 | 209.60 | 247.34 | 180.95 |
| 2012 | 118.94 | 155.04 | 187.02 | 209.18 | 258.14 | 185.25 | |
| Percentage change | -2.3 | 4.7 | 4.3 | -0.2 | 4.4 | 2.4 | |
That table shows a big jump – an increase of more than 16% – in the spending by low income households on internet services. It is likely driven by an increase in the number of low income households that actually got an internet connection, but unfortunately, we don’t see comparative adoption figures published by income quintile by year.
The CRTC shows additional information about spending levels as a percentage of income. At 8.4% of income, many of Canada’s lowest income households are spending too much, and this is with nearly half of those households not having a broadband connection.
Most initiatives have looked at the rural/urban divide; it is encouraging to see the CRTC gathering data and monitoring affordability in low income households, a key factor limiting ubiquitous participation in a digital economy. Understanding the nature of the problem is an important step in developing solutions.