The U.S. has increased its internet speed benchmark – Is it time for Canada to follow suit?

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S. has increased its broadband speed benchmark, surpassing the lead Canada once held.

The benchmark speed for high-speed fixed broadband internet is now 100Mbps for downloads and 20Mbps for uploads. This is an increase to the speeds the FCC set in 2015, a benchmark of 25Mbps download speeds and 3Mbps upload speeds.

Several factors contribute to this change, including usage patterns and the availability of services from internet service providers (ISPs), according to a press release detailing the updated speeds.

The change surpasses Canada’s benchmark for fixed minimum internet speeds of at least 50Mbps for downloads and 10Mbps for uploads. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) implemented the speeds in 2016, adding high-speed internet to its definition of “basic telecom services” for the first time.

Prior to the 2016 change, the CRTC last reviewed the definition in 2011 and set target speeds of 5Mbps for downloads and 1Mbps for uploads.

When the CRTC implemented the minimum speeds in 2016, it greatly surpassed the speeds in the U.S. Is it again time for Canada to examine its minimum internet speeds?

Keldon Bester, the executive director of the Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project, believes so. “I think Canada would be wise to pull that floor up,” Bester told MobileSyrup.

But it’s not just about matching the FCC’s benchmarks. Bester says Canada should use this opportunity to examine if it can push further than the U.S., given the improvements in technology that offer better internet services, coupled with the growing needs of Canadians.

The opportunity also includes Canada examining if it’s using the correct aspects to measure the minimum speeds it mandates.

“In one consensus, this is an opportunity to check ourselves; not only is our floor at the right level but are we looking at the right dimensions of what makes internet access useful to Canadians?”

Bandwidth is only one factor in internet access. Latency, Bester said, is another essential factor to consider.

Latency refers to the time it takes for data to move between networks. Even with access to high-speed internet, higher latency means it’ll take longer to load web pages, video chat, or stream content.

The regulatory body told MobileSyrup that more than 91 percent of Canadian homes and businesses have access to the minimum internet speeds at this time.

However, the need for high-quality internet services still exists in many rural and remote regions. The CRTC points to the Broadband Fund to help address the connectivity gap, which it’s working to improve.

“The CRTC is currently taking steps to improve the Broadband Fund, to make the application process faster and easier, while looking at creating a new funding stream for Indigenous communities and funding projects that will increase the reliability of rural and remote networks.”

Accessing high-speed internet services has been a major focus for the CRTC’s new leadership.

In March 2023, the commission launched a review of wholesale rates for high-speed internet services. In November, it made an interim decision to mandate Bell and Telus to give ISPs in Ontario and Québec wholesale access to their fibre networks. Last month, it held a public consultation as part of its review.

Despite ongoing concerns about how long it takes the regulator to move through files, Bester says there’s some hope Canada will take quick action to raise the minimum speeds.

“Over the past year, we’ve seen a CRTC chair who is really taking both the promise and limitations of the agency seriously. Understanding the speed at which public processes need to take place, I think there’s still an opportunity and nothing stopping us from doing so.”

Updated March 15, 2023, 3:20pm ET: The article has been updated with a statement from the CRTC.

Source: FCC, CRTC