Small- and medium-sized enterprises have told Ottawa that there is inadequate access to high-speed Internet services in the country, primarily in rural areas outside the most densely populated provinces and in northern communities. The implications, say respondents to an online poll conducted by Industry Canada, are that those areas are at a "severe disadvantage in terms of economic development and diversity, access to information, advanced educational tools (i.e. e-learning), and new online health services. This also makes it difficult for these areas to engage in virtual networks (e-clusters) and limits their ability to participate in and influence political agendas," writes the department.