Digital Divide Canada

Canada is one of the most wired countries in the world, with approximately eighty-seven per cent of households connected to the Internet (). Although Canada was once ranked among the world's leading providers of telecommunication services, many developing countries have surpassed our country’s standards. Canada's small number of telecommunications companies, which include BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., Telus Corp and Shaw, have settled in urban areas, and have done little to help and reach into rural Canadian settlements. There is a distinct divide between access for those in urban centres versus rural and remote households. Broadband is available to 100 per cent of Canadians in urban areas, compared to eighty-five per cent in rural areas (). The government could help end the digital divide by providing additional funds

*explain why this is not enough*. About twenty per cent of Canadians live in rural areas, and about sixty per cent of these people access Internet through satellite or wireless services. In remote northern communities, the digital divide is even more pronounced. Approximately 32,000 residents in Nunavut spread across 1.8 million square kilometres and have the lowest quality of connection (). A staggering twenty-seven per cent of communities in that territory have Internet access. British Columbia and Alberta have the largest number of connected households, with eighty-six per cent, while connection rates are lowest in Quebec and on the East Coast, where rates are under eighty per cent (). Canada is one of the largest countries in the world, and it is clear that trying to connect the country, digitally, is an expensive and long process. The government should look into additional funding to minimize the digital