Telecom - Staff Letter addressed to the Distribution List
Ottawa, 6 February 2024
Our reference: 8020-1/23
By EMAIL
Distribution List
Subject: Next steps in the Measuring Broadband Canada (MBC) Phase 3 study
In this letter, CRTC staff seeks to inform you about updates to the involvement of wireless internet service providers (WISPs) in the MBC Phase 3 study and the next steps leading to the study’s completion.
MBC Phase 3 studies how Canadians subscribing to fixed wireless Internet services with download speeds of 50 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of 10 Mbps or faster are experiencing Internet performance at home. Together, the CRTC and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) launched Phase 3 of the MBC project in 2022. SamKnows, a third-party expert in broadband measurement, was selected to conduct the study.
Since that time, CRTC staff have engaged with Canadian WISPs to provide WISPs with opportunities to be involved in elements of the carrying out of the study, and CRTC staff have worked with ISED and SamKnows to accommodate, to the extent possible, WISPs’ requests regarding the elements and timing of the study. Staff notes, though, that these aspects are not in the CRTC’s sole control given that the CRTC is collaborating with ISED, the contracting authority, and SamKnows, the expert carrying out the study, in Phase 3 of the MBC study.
At this time, we must inform you that the study must now be completed by the end of March, 2024 and no extensions are possible. To complete the study in a timely manner, the schedule for the carrying out of the remainder of the study is now as follows.
- The testing phase has been initiated.
- SamKnows may reach out to specific WISPs should SamKnows want additional information regarding certain data gathered from subscribers of those WISPs.
- Additionally, CRTC staff will seek to provide WISPs with an opportunity to review and comment on a copy of the draft report, upon request. If requested, this review and comment period will be for approximately 7 calendar days and is expected on March 18, 2024.
The MBC project is an important tool for understanding Internet services in Canada. As has been the case throughout this project, CRTC staff hope to be able to count on WISPs’ willing involvement in seeing Phase 3 of the MBC study to a successful completion. CRTC staff looks forward to your continued engagement in MBC Phase 3 and in working with ISPs in Canada in any future iterations of the MBC project.
Regards,
Simon Levasseur
Director, Financial and Multiplatform Technology Analysis
Consumer, Research and Communications sector
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
c.c:
CRTC contacts regarding the project:
Guy Morin, Guy.Morin@crtc.gc.ca
Bartek Bober, Bartek.Bober@crtc.gc.ca
Distribution List
Bell Canada, bell.regulatory@bell.ca
CanWISP, executivedirector@canwisp.ca;
CountryWifi, jeff@countrywifi.ca
Ecotel, Eric@ambra.co
Fiberspeed, cosmin@fiberspeed.ca;
IGS Hawkesbury, jbogue@hawkmail.ca
Minto Communications, service@mintocomm.ca
Muskoka Wifi Inc., will@mbwd.ca
Netsolid Inc., belairtech@gmail.com
Québec Internet, ljpaquet@quebecinternet.com
Rogers Communications inc, regulatory@rci.rogers.com
Ruralnet, heiner@ruralnet.ca
TELUS, Regulatory.affairs@telus.com
Vianet, regulatory@vianet.ca
Xplore Inc., legal@xplore.ca
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