National Broadband Task Force

The National Broadband Task Force was an initiative of the Government of Canada whose mandate was established in 2001 by the Canadian Minister of Industry,[1] at that time Brian Tobin.

The Task Force was chaired by David Lloyd Johnston, and its report was delivered on June 18, 2001.[2]

Mandate

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The initiative sought "to map out a strategy for achieving the Government of Canada's goal of ensuring that broadband services are available to businesses and residents in every Canadian community by 2004."[1]

Recommendations

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The Task Force recommended four overall "priorities" for achieving basic broadband access by 2004:[3]

  • Transport Link: "All communities should be linked to national broadband networks via a high-speed, high-capacity and scalable transport link."
  • First Nation, Inuit, Rural and Remote Communities: "The priority of the broadband deployment strategy should be to link all First Nation, Inuit, rural and remote communities to national broadband networks".
  • Public institutions: "The local broadband access infrastructure should be extended to the community's public facilities, including every public learning institution, public health care facility, public library and other designated public access points."
  • Connecting Businesses and Residences: "The local broadband access infrastructure should also be extended to local business and residential users, for example, by leveraging broadband infrastructure serving public facilities."

Membership

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The membership of the National Broadband Task Force included web-linked members in Clarenville, Newfoundland and Labrador; Ottawa; Sioux Lookout, Ontario; and Iqaluit, Nunavut.

Chair

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David Lloyd Johnston, president, University of Waterloo

Members

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Participating associations

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References

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