Nirmala Naidoo, Commissioner for Alberta and the Northwest Territories
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
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Introduction
Good morning.
Thank you for the warm welcome. I'm delighted to be here with you today.
Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Musqueam First Nation, whose longstanding relationship with this land continues to this day. I thank the Musqueam people for allowing us to meet here.
For those I haven't yet had the pleasure of meeting, I am Nirmala Naidoo, Commissioner for Alberta and the Northwest Territories. My career began in broadcasting, where I spent many years as a journalist and anchor both here in Canada and abroad. Those experiences gave me a front‑row seat to the power of broadcasting-its ability to connect communities, inform public dialogue, and give people a sense of belonging.
Over time, one truth became unmistakable: access to a fair and inclusive communications system isn't a luxury-it's crucial. When people, no matter who they are or where they live, can rely on trusted sources of information, our democracy is stronger for it.
That understanding continues to guide me today in my role as Commissioner. The urgency, responsibility, and impact I witnessed in newsrooms shape how I approach regulation and public service. Ultimately, it was a desire to give back-to support a system that serves everyone-that led me to join the CRTC.
As you know, the CRTC is a quasi‑judicial tribunal that regulates the Canadian communications sector in the public interest. We hold hearings on broadcasting and telecommunications matters and make decisions based on the record before us.
The CRTC remains focused on what connectivity means in practice for Canadians, especially in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities.
Progress and remaining gaps
Access to reliable, affordable, high‑quality Internet services is essential for Canadians to stay connected with their families and communities, access virtual health care and online education, and participate fully in today's digital world.
As part of a broad national effort to improve connectivity, we are doing our part through the Broadband Fund. In our last call for applications, the Broadband Fund supported projects that will bring high‑speed Internet and mobile services to more than 320 communities-benefiting over 54,000 households-while also connecting major transportation routes and supporting the deployment of nearly 6,000 kilometres of fibre.
The CRTC has also issued a notice of consultation to develop a dedicated Indigenous Stream. This work is still underway, and its design will be shaped in partnership with Indigenous communities and organizations to ensure it reflects their priorities.
This proposed stream is intended to support projects led by Indigenous communities and organizations, ensuring they have the resources and autonomy to design solutions that meet their needs. To date, the Commission has approved 68 projects through the Broadband Fund, helping to expand high‑quality Internet services in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. This represents meaningful progress.
The Broadband Fund is helping to ensure Canadians who previously had no service can finally get connected. But we know the work is not finished. Too many communities still lack the reliable connectivity needed to fully participate in today's digital world.
Recent reporting continues to highlight these disparities, particularly in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities.
At the same time, new partnerships-including those focused on expanding broadband access in Indigenous communities-show that the industry recognizes both the urgency of the challenge and the opportunity to address it. These initiatives are encouraging, but they also underscore a fundamental truth: closing the connectivity gap is a shared goal. Your participation is critical-this work depends on collaboration, shared insight, and partners committed to advancing a more connected Canada.
New Broadband Fund applications
Recognizing that significant disparities remain, the CRTC has launched a new call for applications under the Broadband Fund to connect more communities. This call is focused on directing investments where they can have the greatest impact.
We are seeking projects that bring reliable high‑speed Internet to Canadian homes, improve connectivity in satellite‑dependent communities, and strengthen satellite transport to support more reliable service.
At the same time, we continue to strengthen how the Broadband Fund operates. Following a comprehensive review in 2024, we introduced targeted changes to simplify the application process, reduce unnecessary burden, and accelerate funding decisions. These changes also lowered barriers for Indigenous applicants and strengthened expectations related to community engagement and consent.
Building on this work, the CRTC is consulting on the development of a dedicated Indigenous funding stream-one designed to better reflect the realities of Indigenous communities and support Indigenous‑led connectivity solutions.
Your participation-through funding applications, participation in our proceedings, and the sharing of lived experience-is key to ensuring the Broadband Fund continues to evolve in a way that is responsive, inclusive, and grounded in real‑world needs.
This new call for applications is an important opportunity to expand access and help close longstanding connectivity gaps, particularly in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities.
As we take this next step, our focus turns to the work ahead. What comes next will be shaped by your expertise and by the partnerships we build together. Hearing directly from Indigenous peoples is vital, and their perspectives must meaningfully inform the Commission's work and decision‑making. Meaningful engagement-from communities, Indigenous partners, service providers, and other stakeholders-is central to achieving lasting progress.
Beyond connectivity
Connecting underserved communities remains unfinished work, and the Broadband Fund continues to play a vital role in addressing these gaps. As part of this effort, the CRTC will soon complete its review of the Broadband Fund policy, including determinations on whether to expand operating expense coverage and support resiliency‑focused projects.
These decisions will help shape how the Fund evolves. At the same time, resiliency requires action beyond the Broadband Fund itself.
Looking ahead, our responsibility is to help shape a telecommunications system that is sustainable, resilient, and able to meet the needs of the future.
This is especially true for rural, remote, and Indigenous communities, where reliable connectivity can be transformative.
Through our regulatory frameworks and the Broadband Fund, we are supporting investments that strengthen reliability, encourage long‑term viability, and promote collaboration across the communications ecosystem. But regulation and funding alone are not enough. Progress depends on partnership-on leaders, communities, and organizations working with us to share what they are seeing on the ground and help shape better outcomes.
Network resilience
Network resilience is a shared priority. This work forms part of a broader, ongoing effort to strengthen the resilience of Canada's communications system, informed by evidence, experience, and engagement.
We are working to reduce outages and ensure Canadians have the information they need when one occurs. This includes making sure public safety partners and government officials are informed about major disruptions, consulting on new requirements for how service providers design and operate their networks and exploring consumer protection measures to ensure Canadians receive timely updates and appropriate refunds or bill credits after an outage.
The CRTC has received stakeholder comments in its proceedings on outage notifications, network resiliency, and consumer protections. Your input across these consultations is helping us identify vulnerabilities, strengthen preparedness, and ensure that networks can withstand disruption and continue to serve the communities that rely on them every day.
Ultimately, building a resilient and sustainable telecommunications system is not just a technical objective-it is a shared responsibility, and one we can only achieve by working together.
Closing
Before we conclude, I want to note that CRTC staff will be available throughout the conference at a helpdesk booth. We encourage you to stop by, ask questions, share your perspectives, and connect directly with our team.
It has been a pleasure to be part of these conversations today. Thank you to the organizers for bringing us together and for creating space for such thoughtful and constructive discussion.
British Columbia continues to demonstrate leadership in addressing complex connectivity challenges, and the collaboration reflected at this conference is central to that progress.
As we look beyond connectivity toward building a telecommunications system that is sustainable, resilient, and future‑ready, partnership will remain essential. Through the Broadband Fund and our broader regulatory work, the CRTC is committed to doing its part, and we look forward to working with all of you to deliver lasting outcomes for communities across Canada.
Thank you, and I look forward to the conversations ahead.
