Broadband committee calls on government to adopt provincial strategy

A committee pushing for more equitable access to broadband in Saskatchewan is calling on the government to adopt a province-wide strategy.

The Saskatchewan Broadband Action Committee was formed in 2021 in response to issues experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in rural and remote areas. Now, the group is working to achieve “broadband infrastructure parity” for all residents of the province by 2025.

According to the committee, 53 per cent of those it surveyed in Saskatchewan don’t have access to broadband high-speed Internet of at least 50 megabits per second for downloads and 10 megabits per second for uploads.

While Saskatchewan has “a fairly good base of infrastructure from which to build and develop,” the committee said more work needs to be done to help bring equality to the province’s broadband system.

Saskatchewan, the committee noted, appears to be the only province without a formal plan or strategy in place to improve broadband infrastructure.

The group published its own framework for broadband development and investment, and is calling on the provincial government to adopt it as a starting point.

“It is our hope that the province will embrace this strategy and invite the committee to work directly with the appropriate ministries and government officials on ‘how’ to move forward collectively,” committee co-chair Jay Meyer said in a statement.

Among its recommendations, the group is also calling on the provincial government to establish a “Saskatchewan Broadband Collaboration & Priorities Office,” and commit to a $50-million infrastructure grant offering incentives for the industry “to expand their reach to areas and communities that Internet Service Providers would consider non-viable economic areas of the province.”

The committee’s recommendations and framework can be found on its website.