Cybera has joined a cross-Canada coalition of organizations and businesses who are pushing for widespread internet access to be made a priority by government and telcos. Even before the social distancing policies that have come into force to fight COVID-19, people have become increasingly reliant on the Internet to access work, education, training, government services […]
It’s time to get Canada connected Read More »
Last week, Cybera submitted a response to the CRTC’s Notice of Consultation 2019-406: Call for comments regarding potential barriers to the deployment of broadband-capable networks in underserved areas in Canada. In 2018, the CRTC finalized the Broadband Fund, a $750 Million investment over five years to fund broadband-capable networks across Canada. Its intention is to: “Fund projects
Cybera’s response to CRTC consultation on barriers to deploying broadband Read More »
The current COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating the connectivity issues faced by rural Albertans. There is an opportunity for the provincial government, and large internet service providers (ISPs), to work together to fix this problem, now. Our policy team has developed a white paper highlighting the current need in the province, and proposing actionable next steps
New white paper addresses the connectivity crisis in Alberta Read More »
The ConnectIN project was a two-year pilot project evaluating the internet connectivity in First Nations communities in BC, Alberta and Manitoba. Led by three First Nations’ regional technology organizations, and facilitated by Cybera, the goal of this project was to better assess gaps in infrastructure and services. ConnectIN wrapped up in February 2020. In this post, we
On January 30, the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review panel released its final report on Canada’s Communications Future: Time to Act. The panel was appointed in June 2018 to review the country’s communication legislative framework, including the Telecommunications Act, Radiocommunication Act, and the Broadcasting Act. The panel’s 97 recommendations cover a wide range of subjects,
An overview of the CRTC’s Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Read More »
Last week, Cybera submitted a response to the Competition Bureau’s call for comments on anti-competitive conduct in the digital economy. In its discussion document, the Competition Bureau called attention to the increasing market concentration of certain core digital markets, including digital platforms such as Facebook and Google. The Bureau noted the role that big data
Last week, Canada’s largest telecommunications providers, including Bell, Rogers and Telus, petitioned the federal government to reverse the CRTC’s August 2019 decision to lower wholesale rates. These rates are what the large telecommunication firms charge to resellers to provide internet services. In its August 2019 decision, the CRTC stated that; “The Commission considers that the
Cybera’s response to telco petition to increase wholesale internet rates Read More »
In early September, Cybera submitted its response to a consultation by Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada on the modernization of Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). (This followed our August submission to an Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) consultation on transfers for processing.) Comments were requested on a number
When you look at the total geographic region that the Peace Library System covers, you get a good sense of some of the challenges faced by its IT Services Manager, Janet Ayles. Peace Library basically serves the entire top-left corner of Alberta. With 46 libraries spread over 238,000 square kilometres, Ayles sees a broad range
In places with no internet connectivity, Alberta libraries offer a lifeline Read More »
Bright/translucent lines: Areas where SWIFT estimates internet service provider offer service packages with speeds that meet or exceed CRTC’s 50/10 “basic service” target. Dark hexagons: Areas considered served/ineligible to apply to CRTC fund. Last week, Cybera submitted a letter in support of Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT)’s appeal to the CRTC to reconsider its Broadband
Cybera Supports SWIFT Call For Equal Access to the CRTC’s Broadband Fund Read More »
Last week, Cybera submitted a brief to the federal government’s Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review panel. The panel has been tasked with reviewing Canada’s communication legislative framework in the digital age, focusing on issues of content creation, net neutrality and cultural diversity, and how to strengthen the future of Canadian media. We would like to
Cybera’s Case to the Telecommunications Legislative Review Read More »
In the lead up to the 2018 Cyber Summit, we interviewed keynote speaker Andrew Keen to get a sneak peak of his talk. Keen is a well-known provocateur when it comes to discussing the digital revolution. He has worked in Silicon Valley since 1995, and in recent years, has focused more and more on social
Andrew Keen On How To Fix The Future Read More »
Cybera’s Barb Carra is one of 16 Albertans selected to form the province’s Talent Advisory Council on Technology. Together, they will provide advice and input to the Government of Alberta on strategies, investments and outcomes on tech-related training programs. The council – a mix of leaders from the tech industry and post-secondary institutions, along with student and labour
By Alyssa Moore, Former Policy Advisor, Cybera Last month, an acquaintance of mine posted this in a Facebook group: Who wants to come install networking equipment under the supervision of Bruce Buffalo the weekend of May 12? We will be camping on the Saturday night near Maskwacis (about 2.5 h drive north). No experience required
Scaling the roofs of Maskwacis to build a mesh network Read More »
In July 2004, the Assembly of First Nations passed a resolution directing “the government of Canada to honour its commitment to connect every community to broadband services by 2005.” But nearly a decade and a half later, many First Nations communities remain without any internet connectivity. This issue was highlighted in 2016 by the CRTC
Testing the Gaps in First Nations’ Internet Access Read More »
As part of our core mandate, Cybera continually pushes for the democratization of technology access in Canada. We’ve seen some major policy successes over the years — particularly with the CRTC decision to mandate bandwidth as a basic communications service needed by everyone. We’re also pleased to see increasing investments by governments (from the municipal
Why rural connectivity is an issue for EVERY Canadian Read More »