[Advisors] -Canada pushing ultra-broadband plan

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 11:50:57 -0800

http://www.itworldcanada.com/news/i-canada-pushing-ultra-broadband-plan/1466
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-Canada pushing ultra-broadband plan
By:  Howard Solomon  On: 22 Jan 2013 For: ComputerWorld Canada Creator

Group wants a broad coalition from the public and private sector to come up
with a plan so every Canadian home gets 1 Gbps Internet access by 2020
With the long promised federal digital economy strategy nowhere in sight, a
group of Canadian political, business and private sector leaders continues
to push for an independent coalition to create the framework to build an
ultra-broadband network.

The iCanada Alliance believes the country needs to offer the majority of
residents Internet access with download speeds of at least 1 gigabits per
second (Gbps) by 2020 - about 10 times faster than many Canadians can get
now.

The group's most recent effort to spread its message came last week when it
met the chairman of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications
Commission (CRTC), which has the authority to set voluntary targets for
Internet providers.

Two years ago the commission urged carriers to offer at least 5 Megabits per
second (Mpbs) service to every household by 2015.

In an interview Monday i-Canada chair Bill Hutchison said the alliance's
meeting was to explain what it is doing to CRTC chair Jean-Pierre Blais.
Blais has said he'd like to ensure Canadians have access to quality and
innovative communications services at affordable prices, Hutchinson.
He added that the alliance didn't ask the commission to endorse its efforts
for a public-private sector broadband planning coalition.
(In a statement the commission said Blais "agreed with the growing
importance of Internet access and affordability to Canadians and the
Canadian economy." Blais, the statement said, is interested in i-Canada's
work in trying to bring together many players.)

As for the Harper government's promise to release a digital strategy,
Hutchison shrugged. "I gave up on that one," he said.
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Besides, he added, he doesn't believe in waiting for governments. "If you
have a good idea, start a parade," he said. "If it's good, every politician
will want to be part of it."

Although the alliance isn't seeking government backing for its coalition,
Hutchison said it does want federal, provincial and local government
participation.

Meanwhile, in a column published last week in Forbes magazine, Julius
Genachowski the chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- which has broader powers than the CRTC - challenged carriers and local
communities there to build 1 Gbps testbed networks in every U.S. state by
2015.

Why the rush? "To maintain leadership in innovation," Genachowski wrote, "we
need to keep pushing for faster broadband networks." Even though more than
80 per cent of U.S. homes have access to broadband networks offering 100
Mbps that isn't fast enough, he said.

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or visit http://www.itworldcanada.com for more Canadian IT NewsBy:  Howard
Solomon  On: 22 Jan 2013 For: ComputerWorld Canada Creator