Madam Speaker, I am happy to respond to the comments made by the hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni regarding wireless service policies. I have a great deal of respect for my colleague, whose office is virtually next to mine. He has a great deal of experience in Parliament, and I hope that I will provide satisfactory answers.
The government has a keen interest in the telecommunications sector. It is an essential platform for innovation and a leading factor in the growth of our digital economy.
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development has been given a mandate to support competition, choice, and availability of services, and to foster a strong investment environment for telecommunications services.
I am pleased that my friend mentioned that our government announced, in budget 2016, that starting in 2016-17 we will be investing up to $500 million over five years in a new program to expand and improve access to broadband Internet service in rural and isolated communities.
By investing in the quality of broadband networks, we will foster access to a multitude of innovative services that will help improve education, health care, productivity and the local quality of life.
Numerous areas of government contribute to the policies and regulations for the wireless telecommunications sector.
The minister is responsible for the Telecommunications Act, which sets the overall direction for telecommunications policy. He is also responsible for the Radiocommunication Act, which governs policies relating to the allocation and use of spectrum frequencies and the airwaves used by wireless providers.
When it comes to wireless spectrum, the government will continue to work to make additional spectrum available to wireless providers to enable competition, investment, and innovation to benefit all Canadians.
These new frequencies will build on the spectrum available to both incumbent operators and newer entrants to the market.
Any decisions we make relating to spectrum will be made in the context of the mandate and objectives that I just mentioned. We will consult the industry and Canadians before setting rules for future spectrum auctions. That is important.
The CRTC is responsible for regulating and supervising Canada’s communications system in the public interest. The CRTC has taken a number of actions to support wireless consumers, such as creating a mandatory national code of conduct for wireless service providers and regulating wholesale roaming rates, which are the rates that large incumbent carriers charge smaller providers when customers roam on their networks.
Finally, the Competition Bureau, an independent law enforcement agency, ensures that Canadian businesses and consumers prosper in a competitive and innovative marketplace. The bureau investigates anti-competitive activities, including mergers, price-fixing, and false or misleading representations, and takes other measures.
I would like to close by reiterating that—