I received an email on Monday from CATA Alliance, asking for Canadians to sign a petition calling for a pledge of full endorsement of their i-Canada vision. I can’t endorse the document, let alone pledge that I “do fully endorse” it. Quite simply, the preamble contains too many flaws to merit my full endorsement.
The message starts out by inviting us to view a video from TVO featuring a soliloquy bemoaning Canada’s supposedly sorry network condition, citing a “recent study.” I won’t get into any further trashing of the widely discredited Harvard Berkman study, upon which the CATA Alliance release relies. After all, that is old news to my regular readers. Even the FCC – the folks who commissioned the Berkman study – ignored the report.
To call it a “Harvard” study implies credibility – as though there was an academic peer review of the paper. Ha! Just like there is no questioning of the facts set out in the TVO video. Of course, a critical interviewer might have destroyed so many of the premises of the position that claims Canadian broadband is woefully inadequate – that we have “some of the poorest high-speed internet service in the developed world.”
For example, Google’s gigabit network plans are said to be 1000 times faster than what we suffer with today in Canada. That would mean that the fastest connection in Canada is only 1 Mbps. Anyone care to offer a view on the accuracy of that?
It speaks of Australia’s future plans, Google’s planned trials, a Swedish community network serving 50,000 people and confuses these by comparing it to the slowest networks in Canada.
In the iCanada manifesto, the document lists Canada’s accomplishments of the past before ringing an alarm bell that cries out that “Canada has been falling down the international leadership staircase in terms of the innovation and application of technology.”
It would have been inconvenient to point out that Canada is home to 3 of the world’s fastest mobile wireless networks – the only country in the world with 3 such networks and more being built [see our earlier post on this point]. It wouldn’t have fit the hypothesis to note that Canada has led the world in the deployment of ultra-high speed DOCSIS 3.0 cable internet service.
While the monologue talks about a community of 50,000 in Sweden investing $4500 per household to build a community fibre network, there is no mention of competition driving phone companies across Canada, from New Brunswick through Quebec and Manitoba to build fibre to the home – without individuals having to front the costs.
There was no mention of the 14 Canadian communities recognized for excellence by the Intelligent Communities Forum, more than half the number of communities named in the US; no other countries have more than 5 communities recognized. I didn’t hear see CATA Alliance’s document recognize New Brunswick premier Shawn Graham being named Intelligent Community Visionary of the Year “based on his dedication to make New Brunswick the first complete broadband province in Canada and transform its educational system to pursue a knowledge-based economy.”
CATA Alliance is apparently trying to build participation in the national dialog to set a direction for Canada’s Digital Economy. It seems to me that it can be hard to figure out where you are going if you don’t know where you are starting from.
The 2010 Canadian Telecom Summit, June 7-9, will be the place to find out where we are and discuss where we should be heading.
Canada’s Digital Economy future will be prominently featured throughout The 2010 Canadian Telecom Summit, right from the opening keynote address on June 7, delivered by Industry Minister Tony Clement. Tuesday June 8 will feature a number of sessions that examine these issues – how other countries are developing their ICT Strategies and some perspectives on what should be done here in Canada.
Have you registered yet? Download the complete conference brochure here [pdf, 1.2MB].
Thanks for adding to the conversation, Mark. You will have seen from the social networks that many thought leaders have reponded. Most have fully endorsed and then put forward creative ideas to realize the vision. Note that the i-Canada campaign links to the industry’s public policy recommendations, developed in part by Sir Terry Matthews. Basically specific changes required to support business growth and enterpreneurship.
We are going to recognize and promote Canadian successes and seek widespread adoption, actually going to the key cities via the Mayors and top business leaders.
I gather that your view is also contrary to Minister Clements white paper on Digital, a view that we fully endorse, particularly our middle of the pack starting place.
The two pager plus Declaration, is exactly that, a concise way to mobilize and encourage dialogue and creative thought towards improving our position. Our goal is the very same as your Summit, so we have many shared interests. Thanks again for engaging.
Canada may be home to 3 of the world’s fastest mobile wireless networks, but that’s a meaningless claim in much of the country.
Here in Manitoba there are 11 cities (population over 5000). Of those only one, Winnipeg, has high speed data – Rogers’ HSPA network. At lower speeds, it also has Telus and MTS’s EVDO data.
The rest of Manitoba makes do with MTS’s 1x data and a few have Rogers’ GSM data.
Telus is rumored to have HSPA data within Winnipeg for people roaming from elsewhere, but it’s not available for Manitobans. They do not offer data – not even 1x on CDMA – in the other cities or rural areas. Bell, Wind and Mobilicity do not operate in Manitoba. Virgin unveiled the Blackberry Pearl 3G today – with of course a “not in Saskatchewan and Manitoba” note.
It’s good that the capital cities of each province have high-speed service. It’s good that even more have DOCSIS 3.0 cable internet service. But a few minutes outside the provincial capital – as I am – you’re in the world of 1x data and a roof-top line-of-site wireless link that averages far less than 1 Mbps. And yes, individuals have to front the costs.
Thanks John, but anyone who knows me knows that I don’t need help with putting words in my mouth – so please don’t extrapolate to any position on the Minister’s call for comments.
The CATA Alliance call for signatures asks us to “fully endorse” a clearly flawed document: the declaration, not the Innovation Nation recommendations which are only incorporated by reference.