New Industry minister will decide the make up of new broadband task force

It will be up to Industry minister Brian Tobin to decide which sectors are represented on his new National Broadband Task Force, and how large it will be. The group’s newly appointed chair, David Johnston, says he expects the task force will include diverse representation from industry, government, local communities and public interest groups. "One might, for example, reach into regional government or municipal government bodies that function at a more local level and are pretty conscious of what happens at the grassroots." It’s unlikely the group will be as large as its predecessor, the Information Highway Advisory Council, which at 30 members, was considered unmanageable by many. With a March 31 deadline only five months away, Johnston says no one should expect any substantial public consultation on the broadband access issue. "People will be appointed because they bring a knowledge and expertise. I don’t expect we will be doing a lot of original research. There simply isn’t time." He adds that the group will likely meet monthly. Essentially, the task force is being asked to get a handle on how much broadband access is available in rural areas, how much is expected to be built, and what are the needs of various types of communities. Once this information is in hand, the task force will consider the following: • Given the recent CRTC decision regarding access to basic telephone service and low speed Internet access, consider the types, characteristics and needs of communities which without government involvement will not likely be served by high speed broadband Internet access by the private sector by 2004; • The technical, institutional and financial barriers that may delay the provision of such service by the private sector, and government’s potential role in overcoming these barriers;• The carriers and other commercial groups that may want to deploy high speed service in these communities and what the government would need to do to bring them to the table; • Take into consideration the recent CRTC decision (99-16) regarding access to basic tele-phone service and basic low speed access to the Internet; • The models and contractual arrangements which the government might use which are neutral with respect to technologies and maximize the role and risk-taking of the private sector; and • Whether or not pilot projects would be useful to provide both the private sector and the Government of Canada with insights and experience that would usefully inform an approach to a broader effort and if so what aspects the pilots should test. The task force is also being asked to determine whether accelerated take-up of high speed Internet would cause capacity constraints in inter-regional transmission, and the federal government’s role, if any, in resolving and upgrading them. Johnston notes that the terms of reference could change now that a new minister has taken over at Industry Canada. "Bear in mind that Mr. Tobin took office about 48 hours after that was announced, so Mr. Tobin may have some particular themes that would be of interest to him."

New Industry minister will decide the make up of new broadband task force

News | October 23, 2000

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