Industry committee  One of the challenges we've seen with ideas like a skinny basic package around cable is that in the past they were buried on websites. They were impossible to find and impossible to navigate. I think what we're talking about with a universal package that's available to everyone is to make it as inclusive and as widely available as possible.

Industry committee  I think it's definitely incredibly expensive for the amount that's going into purchasing spectrum. I think in the last round for spectrum, it will be a little while before it's actually deployed. It's all preventative and trying to hedge around 5G. I think if the spectrum is to be given away for free, as it has been in the past, historically, which I think is really where the charges started to come from, realizing that such a commodity was being given away for free, then we really do need to make sure that the fund is going directly back into the services themselves.

Industry committee  I'll go first, but I will try not to take up so much time. I'll make sure Mr. Thomson also gets to speak. I think it needs to include a focus on ensuring that the high speed is actually available in homes, not just technically available. We really need to make sure it's getting into the homes.

Industry committee  I don't think that's possible without significant government intervention and funding.

Industry committee  I think where we see unlimited data plans is often in those urban areas if you have fibre or cable connections. For those on satellite or those who rely on any sort of wireless services, they are not unlimited at all, and even if they are unlimited and not subject to a financial penalty, once those services are throttled they are rendered effectively useless.

Industry committee  I would have to look at the map to see if I could find an area that would identify as somewhere that has access, but I think that it's really hard to point to a large swath of rural Canada that would consider itself sufficiently connected.

Industry committee  The rates that the CRTC put out in August were so dramatically reduced from its previous rates that there is no way the CRTC could be off by that much. The rates customers are paying right now are way too high. I think the best example of whom to believe might be what we heard from the incumbents themselves in the wireless proceedings in February at the CRTC, where they really made it clear that ultimately their loyalties lie with their profits for their shareholders, not with their customers.

Industry committee  We've heard a lot of concern around the way that the regions are divided with regard to spectrum and how that often lets companies own the spectrum but only develop the services in the most-developed areas. So ultimately, we would put forward that if companies are not using that spectrum, they need to either make it available to other companies or communities to access, even if they maintain the rights, or they should lose the right to it entirely.

Industry committee  No. It's not a political slant; it's actually an argument regarding efficiency. When we look at the approach to date of trying to get any new companies to come in and start a network from scratch and build across the country, that is dramatically less effective; it is a waste of finances and resources, and ultimately it fails to serve customers.

Industry committee  Facilities-based competition, I think, has caused a lot of the problems that we're seeing right now in our market. There are definitely costs upfront in investing in that infrastructure, but the current model has really forced incumbents, in particular, and those vertically integrated companies to mix their business interests.

Industry committee  I don't think the amount in dollars spent is really the metric, although we do know that connecting the majority of rural Canada is going to cost a fair bit. Really, adoption needs to be the number one metric, not just in terms of who technically has access to services but also in terms of who is using them.

Industry committee  Good evening, and thank you for having me today. I'd like to begin by acknowledging that I am joining you today from Ottawa, the traditional unceded territories of the Algonquin nation. My name is Laura Tribe. I'm the executive director of OpenMedia, a community-based organization working to keep the Internet open, affordable and surveillance-free.

Industry committee  It looked like Michael wanted to speak. Michael, do you want to speak?

Industry committee  I would say that OpenMedia doesn't have an official position on this, but my opinion—

Industry committee  —on your opinion is that I think we are five years now, almost six years in, since this has been another year since the five-year period, and we are debating quite small nuances within the Copyright Act itself. Overall, it's held up for five years, and I think a lot of that is a reflection of the thought that went into making this something that would last, and I think the challenge that I would extend to this committee is recognizing that this does need to last.