BROADBAND & CONNECTIVITY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA (2026)

Issue

Rural, remote and Indigenous communities in British Columbia continue to face significant gaps in broadband and cellular connectivity. These gaps undermine economic competitiveness, public safety, climate resilience and access to essential digital services like telehealth, education and e-commerce. Enabling online business is a key strategy for business resiliency, but rural and remote communities throughout B.C. face the added barrier of not having access to reliable broadband infrastructure and connectivity.

Background

Reliable high-speed internet and cellular service form the foundation of B.C.'s modern economy, yet a stark digital divide persists, particularly in rural, northern, First Nations, and resource-dependent regions. As noted in the B.C. Connectivity Report 2024 prepared by the Ministry of Citizens’ Services, rural B.C. households face higher gaps, with about 23.5-29.8% lacking access as of 2022-2024 data230F. The report also notes the government's goal to connect all rural and First Nations households to high-speed internet services by 2027. Connectivity is represented directly in action 4.36 in the Declaration Act Action Plan to ensure every First Nations community in B.C. has access to high-speed internet services.

The Government of Canada’s Universal Broadband Fund[1] is a $3.225 billion program designed to expand high-speed Internet access to rural and remote communities, with a goal of delivering reliable speeds of at least 50/10 Mbps across the country. It funds a range of infrastructure projects, including large-scale builds, rapid “shovel-ready” projects, and mobile connectivity improvements particularly for Indigenous communities and underserved areas along highways. While this program represents a significant investment and a critical step toward closing the connectivity gap between urban and rural regions, many communities especially in rural and remote areas of British Columbia and across Canada continue to face limited access, unreliable service, and delays in project delivery. As a result, more work remains to be done to ensure equitable, dependable connectivity that fully supports economic development and essential services such as telehealth, remote work, and online learning.

The COVID-19 crisis exposed gaps as businesses moved online, yet progress has stalled due to rising costs, supply chain delays, and climate-related network damage. Rural businesses still pay two to three times more for service, while cellular dead zones along key routes threaten safety and tourism.

CRTC standards classify broadband (50/10 Mbps) as a basic service, yet over 5% of households—especially in remote areas—remain unserved. Solutions like low-Earth-orbit satellites, 5G fixed wireless, and Indigenous-led networks exist, but provincial funding must focus on last-mile access, affordability, and resilience.

Climate events intensify the need for reliable connectivity, as wildfires and floods isolate communities from alerts and recovery aid. Treating broadband and cellular as essential utilities aligns with federal-provincial goals, but B.C. requires flexible, business-led models beyond federal funding.

If British Columbia wants to grow, diversify, and compete, it needs reliable and affordable digital infrastructure. Broadband and cellular service are no longer optional. They are core economic infrastructure.

Digital connectivity is vital for rural and northern communities to attract investment, grow businesses, support the workforce, and diversify economies. Yet high costs, limited providers, inconsistent service, and weak cellular coverage undermine competitiveness and long-term growth.

Without reliable, scalable, and competitively priced digital infrastructure, rural communities face barriers to workforce attraction, tourism, innovation, and resource development. Broadband and cellular service must be treated as essential economic infrastructure—on par with transportation and utilities—and prioritized as a strategic provincial investment to support B.C.’s economic growth and resilience.

The Chamber Recommends

That the Provincial Government:

1. Work in coordination with the federal government and CRTC to accelerate timelines for universal, affordable broadband (CRTC speeds or better) and cellular coverage in all B.C. communities.  and surrounding regional areas.
2. Prioritize shovel-ready last-mile projects in rural, remote, and Indigenous areas, including system redundancy in high-risk zones and integration into emergency/climate plans.
3. Mandate open access/wholesale models in funded projects to enable Internet Service Providers competition and affordability commitments for households and SMEs.
4. Reduce the requirement for matching federal dollars on provincially funded projects (including pilot projects), where appropriate, to create a made-in-B.C. solution.
5. Pair infrastructure investments with SME digital and cybersecurity training to maximize economic impact.