Having reliable access to the internet is a fundamental part of everyday life — but not for everyone. Indigenous and northern communities are behind the rest of Canada in being able to access the internet at speeds needed to take advantage of essential online services, such as health care, education, banking and employment. To close these gaps, this paper identifies new approaches governments can take to address the needs of underserved communities and improve the affordability of the internet for low-income Canadians.

This paper argues that, to close these gaps, governments should pursue new approaches that address the needs of underserved communities and improve the affordability of the internet, including the following:

• Improve co-ordination within and across governments — Improved co-ordination between the federal and provincial and territorial governments could help overcome the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's lack of direct jurisdiction over some types of infrastructure, including municipal facilities and utility poles, that are necessary to expand broadband infrastructure.
• Prioritise northern and Indigenous communities — Indigenous and northern communities have the lowest level of high-speed internet access. Internet service in the territories is provided by a small number of firms in challenging conditions. Improving access to these areas will require government involvement, either through subsidies or capital investment. New satellite technology could hold promise.
• Expand discounted internet plans — Existing government and private-sector efforts to improve affordability of high-speed broadband services are making progress but there is more to do. The federal government should commit to providing the necessary funding to expand existing support programs, possibly from the proceeds of spectrum auctions.