This is more of an FYI. Yesterday, the CRTC released a big decision on broadband. In 2011, the same process resulted in CRTC to not declare the Internet as "basic service" and to set speed goals to 1990s 5/1. Yesterday, the CRTC declared the Internet to be a basic service (which enables additional regulatory powers) and set speed goals to 50/10. Note that this is not a definition of broadband as the FCC had done, it one of many criteria that will be weighted when proposal to get funding is received. But hopefully, it means the end of deployment of DSL. Also, as a result of declaring it a basic service, the CRTC enables powers to force ISPs to contrtibute to a fund that will be used to subsidize deplooyment in rural areas. It plans to collect $100 million/year, increasing by $25m each year to top at $200m which will then be distributed to companies who deploy internet to unserved areas. By setting the speed standard to 50/10, it basically marks any territory not served by cableco as underserved since telco's copper can't reliably deliver those speeds. Nothing happens for now because a "follow up" process is needed to decide how the funding mechanism will work (what portions of a companies revenues are counted to calculated its mandated contribution to fund) and how the process of bidding for subsidies will work. That could take 1 to 2 years. Also in the decision is the phasing out of the equivalent programme for POTS which saw telephone deployed everywhere. The difference is that the POTS program had an "obligation to serve" whereas the internet doesn't.