Without high-speed internet, rural Canadians cut off from economy, group says
In Deer Island, N.B., the fastest internet speed is 1 MB. The Current speaks to a resident who says the lack of high-speed internet in rural communities excludes them from the modern economy, and should be considered critical infrastructure by the government.
Excruciatingly slow Internet connections are a distant memory for many city dwellers but for some Canadians living in rural areas, high-speed internet still isn't available.
In Deer Island, N.B., the fastest available internet speed is 1 MB per second and residents say it's affecting their ability to participate in the modern information economy.
Our leaders should be saying that every Canadian needs a particular kind of connection to the internet just to be dignified, to have respectable life.- Brooke DeCosta Young advocating for equal internet access in rural Canada
Brooke DeCosta Young is a member of the Deer Island Fibre Project, a group that is advocating for provincial and federal governments to classify fiber-optic internet connectivity as critical infrastructure.
This segment was produced by The Current's Julian Uzielli.