Thank you, Madam Chair.
I thank all of the witnesses for their presence here.
My first question is for the FQM representatives.
I represent a riding where the only town of more than 15,000 inhabitants is Saint-Hyacinthe, as you no doubt know. It's a riding that is very similar to other ridings in Canada. We have major needs regarding cellular infrastructure and access to broadband Internet. It's important for us to reduce the gap between urban centres and the rural environment. The CRTC has in fact declared that the Internet is an essential service.
However, we realized that with regard to Internet services funding, the demands are much greater than the sums that were promised. And yet, the economy in our regions really depends on it.
I'd like you to tell us about the cellular infrastructure and Internet access needs of the municipalities you represent. How are we going to be able to bridge that digital gap with the very small sums that were promised for the next five years?