Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister, for coming. I want to congratulate you on work that was done on an important issue that was brought forward a year ago. You've moved forward on that, and we thank you for your attentiveness and for coming here to answer some of these questions.
My riding, Chatham--Kent--Essex, is probably one of those ridings that represents all areas, much the same as the riding you talked about. We have an urban centre, Chatham, with a population of 40,000. It has good representation from all parts of telecommunication. Then we have rural areas with very little representation, and in some cases they need high-speed Internet. I'm concerned about them.
I'm wondering, sir, if you can tell us how this new policy direction would benefit them. Or would it hinder them? Would it cause a slowdown in having the services they so desperately need and want?