{"id":19867,"date":"2026-06-10T05:02:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T09:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mhgoldberg.com\/blog\/?p=19867"},"modified":"2026-06-09T06:57:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T10:57:14","slug":"the-next-connectivity-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mhgoldberg.com\/blog\/?p=19867","title":{"rendered":"The next connectivity challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"

As news emerges<\/a> that the Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) will not be renewed, we should turn our minds toward the next connectivity challenge: transitioning from building networks to maintaining them.<\/p>\n

For more than a decade<\/a>, Canada\u2019s national connectivity agenda has been defined by expansion. Billions<\/a> in federal and provincial funding, paired with unprecedented private\u2011sector investment, pushed high\u2011speed broadband deeper into rural and remote communities than ever before. With the UBF<\/a> now expected to sunset as Canada approaches its 98 per cent coverage target, it\u2019s tempting to declare victory<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But, the next phase of connectivity spending will be harder, less glamorous, and far more politically neglected. Canada’s the next connectivity challenge means shifting our focus from funding broadband network expansion to figuring out how to pay to maintain those networks. At a recent conference<\/a>, I expressed concern that we are not ready for the implications.<\/p>\n

Expansion is a capital project. Maintenance is a lifecycle obligation. One is celebrated with over-sized ceremonial cheques and ribbon\u2011cuttings; the other is an ongoing cost centre that rarely earns political credit. Yet as climate pressures intensify and networks age, maintenance will determine whether Canada\u2019s connectivity gains are durable or fragile.<\/p>\n

The first challenge is resiliency. Wildfires, floods, and extreme storms are no longer rare events. Operators are reinforcing towers, burying fibre, hardening power systems, and redesigning routes to avoid single points of failure. These investments are essential, but they are also expensive \u2014 and they don\u2019t fit neatly into the traditional “build more coverage” narrative that has dominated public policy. A kilometre of fibre washed out by a flood costs the same to replace whether the community has 50 residents or 5,000. Maintenance is indifferent to density.<\/p>\n

The second challenge is sustainability of rural builds. Many of the last\u2011mile projects funded over the past five years were viable because governments subsidized the initial capital. But the long\u2011term operating costs \u2014 repairs, upgrades, backhaul, power, and labour \u2014 fall entirely on service providers. In low\u2011density areas, those costs can exceed revenue. Without a policy framework that acknowledges such lifecycle realities, Canada risks a slow erosion of service quality in precisely the communities that were hardest to connect in the first place.<\/p>\n

A third challenge is technology refresh cycles. Fibre may be durable, but the electronics aren’t. Wireless networks require continual upgrades to remain efficient and secure. Satellite constellations evolve rapidly. The policy conversation has not yet caught up to the fact that “connected once” does not mean “connected forever.” The cost curve of maintenance is rising even as the political appetite for funding is declining.<\/p>\n

What Canada needs now is a Connectivity Maintenance Strategy \u2014 a shift from one\u2011time capital injections to predictable, outcome\u2011based support for resiliency, lifecycle upgrades, and climate adaptation. This doesn\u2019t mean recreating the Universal Broadband Fund. It means recognizing that connectivity is critical infrastructure, and critical infrastructure requires ongoing stewardship, especially in high cost serving areas.<\/p>\n

For more than a century and a half, Canadian carriers have built our national telecom networks. Canada spent the last decade extending advanced networks to rural and remote regions. The challenge for the next decade will be keeping those networks standing, resilient, and modern. <\/p>\n

Maintenance may not be headline\u2011grabbing, but it will define whether our connectivity achievements endure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As news emerges that the Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) will not be renewed, we should turn our minds toward the next connectivity challenge: transitioning from building networks to maintaining them. For more than a decade, Canada\u2019s national connectivity agenda has been defined by expansion. Billions in federal and provincial funding, paired with unprecedented private\u2011sector investment, …<\/p>\n

The next connectivity challenge<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","two_page_speed":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe next connectivity challenge • Telecom Trends<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As news emerges that the Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) will not be renewed, we should turn our minds toward the next connectivity challenge: • June 10, 2026\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mhgoldberg.com\/blog\/?p=19867\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" 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