Québec solidaire is well aware of the Pontiac’s provincial riding internet, cell phone coverage and landline telephone problems. We know citizens have been afflicted with major system breakdowns which completely cut them from emergency services since the cell phone coverage was insufficient. These situations are completely unacceptable. The government should always take the necessary measures to provide a parallel system in the event of an outage, making the continuous service a priority.
Since the Quebec Liberal Party’s launch of the “Québec Branché” program in 2016, there has not been one actual new internet connection made as of Sept. 6. (https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1122040/verif-liberaux-bilan-gouvernement-branche-quebecois-internet-haute-vitesse-regions) Now, they promise Quebecers that they will be able to connect everyone by 2020. Should we really believe them?
And what about our own telecoms (Bell, Rogers, etc) who were supposed to do the actual work with generous government grants? They are nowhere to be found, or when they do, they charge exorbitant rates for their services.
Québec solidaire will create a state-owned corporation called Réseau Québec, responsible for establishing a Québec-wide fibre optic network. It will connect people with internet and landline services, starting with the rural and less-covered regions, so that people who need it the most get connected first. Réseau Québec would only be in charge of the infrastructure, the actual connection to the internet. The internet services would be administered by municipal initiatives, cooperatives or small and medium sized companies. Réseau Québec would also ensure that there is enough competition to lower the internet rates; it would make sure that internet service providers operating the new fibre optic network would at least cut the price by 30 per cent compared to today’s regular internet package.
Réseau Québec would also be deploying the 5G wireless technology using the same principle as the fibre optic network, in order to provide high-speed, reliable mobile coverage across the province, including in the Pontiac.
Quebec wouldn’t be the only province to create such a company. Saskatchewan’s own SaskTel is one such state-owned company that is successfully providing the least expensive internet and cell phone packages in Canada.
In brief:
-Creation of Réseau Québec, state-owned corporation. Its primary responsibility is to connect the rural regions of Quebec to a new fibre optic network (internet and landline). Its secondary objective is to generate competition among the players already in the game (Bell, Rogers, Videotron, etc)
-Would also be responsible for deploying the 5G wireless network across the province (mobile)
-Rural, less-covered regions get connected first
– Internet services are provided by municipality initiatives, cooperatives or small and medium sized companies
-Increased economic competition among internet service providers resulting in at least a 30 per cent decrease in rates (cellphone, internet, landline)
-New approach in the province but tried and tested solution elsewhere in Canada: SaskTel