A lot of commentators have expressed views on last Friday’s release of Digital Canada 150, the long awaited national digital strategy, such as Michael Geist’s article in the Toronto Star.
It is worth reviewing the 1-hour video of the release and follow-up interview with Industry Minister Moore, which has been archived. Fascinating remarks.
The Minister’s prepared remarks are available from the Industry Canada website. I think there are interesting insights that emerged from the interview that begins around the 23:00 mark on the video.
There are remarkably candid comments from the Minister at the 38:30 mark on the video, when he was asked about the outcomes being sought by taking action on wholesale roaming fees and TV channel unbundling.
Choice, choice and more choice. And competition of course on the first one (on the roaming fees). This has been a longstanding gap and to be self-critical, I wish we had moved on this file, on the roaming fees, much sooner, because it actually may have had a material impact on the scene right now in Canada’s wireless world, but it matters and will still matter going forward.
It is an important statement that merits further examination, and demonstrates how important it is for the government to get its rules right. Are the right rules in place now? If these rules had been in place when the AWS spectrum was first auctioned, how would the marketplace be different today?
Digital Canada 150 was four years in the making. Read the report [pdf], watch the video and consider how we are creating a framework for Canada’s leadership in a digital enabled world.
I expect that there will be much discussion of the strategy at The Canadian Telecom Summit, June 16-18 in Toronto as we explore the theme of “Future-proofing Our Place in a Digital World.” Have you registered yet? Take advantage of reduced rate registration prices in effect through the end of April.
What are your thoughts on Digital Canada 150? Your comments are welcome.
Depending on your perspective, this strategy is eight years in the making; Industry Canada was doing consultations in 2006 about a digital strategy. To my mind, this strategy (as Geist put it in his headline) is without strategy. It’s more of a patchwork of actions with not enough overarching vision and boldness for it to make any significant difference.