Canada’s telecommunications regulator says it is working to improve internet reliability and affordability for residents in Northern Canada.
The CRTC says it is requiring Northwestel Inc., which provides phone, internet and television services in Canada’s north, to automatically reduce customers’ bills when internet services are disrupted for at least 24 hours.
It says it will also enhance competition by making it easier for other service providers to use Northwestel’s network to sell services to customers.
The CRTC says the move comes with the launch of another public consultation to develop a subsidy aimed at improving affordability, which would help bring the cost of internet services in the Far North closer to those in other parts of the country. The consultation will be open until Feb. 18….