From Canada 2.0 To A Digital Nation Analysis

In our digital world, the internet plays an important role in the lives of Canadians and in the social, economic, and democratic framework of Canadian society. In her 2013 article, "From Canada 2.0 to a Digital Nation: The Challenges of Creating a Digital Society in Canada," Catherine Middleton argues that broadband internet is the "utility of the 21st century" and it is "as important as water and electricity" (Middleton 4). In other words, Middleton asserts that the internet is an essential resource that allows citizens to "access information, … engage with each other in debate and discussion, … access government, business and community services, and … connect with anyone, anywhere for whatever purposes" (Middleton 6; Winseck 37). Thus, access

However, there is a growing digital divide (or broadband gap) in Canada, where many citizens are excluded from participating in our digital society (Howard et al. 112; Middleton 6; "Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2016-496"). One group in particular, Indigenous communities in lower income, rural and remote areas, and in the Arctic North, face many connectivity issues - such as "little access to cable lines, very few local internet service providers (ISPs) and the high cost of developing infrastructure" - that affect community development and their quality of life (Howard et al. 112). Middleton argues that these citizens "need to be addressed by policy makers if all Canadians are to experience the benefits of a digital society" (Middleton 6-7; Howard et al. 112). Thus, in December 2016, the national telecommunications regulator, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), acknowledged the internet as a basic service that should be accessible to all Canadians (Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2016-496; Kupfer, pars. 1-4). Along with the acknowledgement, the CRTC outlined several goals such as a

7-13; Janigan 109). In a 2017 statement by the Digital Rights Advocate for OpenMedia, a Canadian non-profit media group advocating for an open internet, Katy Anderson argued that while "those speeds are becoming available, the cost is still so prohibitive that nine in 10 Canadians haven't made the jump to the same speeds the CRTC said were essential for all to participate meaningfully online" (Pedwell, pars. 9-10). Ultimately, while access to the high-speed internet is essential for these rural and remote Indigenous communities, Roth argues that without affordable access these communities remain isolated from the rest of Canadian society, are unable to participate and benefit from digital society, and their issues will continue to be ignored (Roth