Feds Tout Nearly 94% of Canadians Now Have High-Speed Internet Access

Innovation, Science, and Economic Development (ISED) Canada today announced that 93.5% of Canadian households now have access to high-speed internet.

Today, over 93.5% of Canadian households have access to high-speed Internet or are targeted to receive access through existing program commitments, compared to just 79% in 2014.

The federal government is on track to grow this number to 98% by 2026 and 100% by 2030, thanks to the Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) and other federal and provincial investments. Canada’s Connectivity Strategy aims to provide all Canadians with access to an internet connection with download speeds of at least 50 Mbps and upload speeds of at least 10 Mbps.

“We all know that Internet is no longer a luxury in this day and age—it’s a necessity. Access to fast, reliable Internet helps rural and remote communities by levelling the playing field so they can access essential services like health care and education, participate in the digital economy or simply connect with loved ones,” said Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development.

“Our progress this year has brought us closer than ever to our goal of connecting all Canadians, no matter where they live, to reliable, high-speed Internet by 2030. I am happy to report that in 2022, we are providing access to over 93.5% of Canadian households, compared to 79% in 2014, and are well on our way to reaching our target.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau topped the UBF up with an additional $475 million last month, bringing its total funding to a whopping $3.225 billion. Since its inception in 2022, the UBF has helped finance 251 projects that will serve up to 328,000 households across Canada with affordable and reliable high-speed internet. 117 of these projects were announced in 2022 alone.

Since 2015, the Canadian Government has made a total of $7.6 billion available to build or improve broadband internet infrastructure across the country.

Last month, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) started accepting the third round of applications for its $750 million Broadband Fund.

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