Federal government to announce high-speed internet for low-income seniors, families
CBC
Hundreds of thousands of low-income seniors and families will soon benefit from $20-per-month high-speed internet as part of a partnership between the federal government and more than a dozen internet service providers, CBC News has learned.
Families receiving the maximum amount under the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) and seniors receiving the maximum under the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) will be eligible for internet with speeds of up to 50 megabits-per-second (Mbps) and 10 Mbps upload, or the fastest available speed in their region.
An announcement is expected on Monday, a government source says.
Fourteen internet service providers, including Bell, Rogers and Telus, are contributing to the initiative.
The move, part of the government's Connecting Families Initiative, has been branded Connecting Families 2.0. It both upgrades and expands what the government previously offered with Connecting Families 1.0. Under that plan, announced in 2017, families receiving the CCB could get access to internet for $10 a month.
Data allotment will also increase to 200 gigabytes per month under 2.0.
The $10-a-month plan will still be available to those who want it.
Data from the Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada suggests that more than 800,000 households receiving the CCB and hundreds of thousands more receiving the GIS could be eligible. Eligible households will receive a letter from the government containing an access code that can be used to sign up through a secure portal.
The government has set a goal to connect 98 per cent Canadians to high-speed Internet by 2026 and 100 per cent by 2030.
Having access to the internet at home changed Ray Noyes's life.
The 66-year-old from Ottawa is a member of ACORN, a group that advocates for low- and moderate-income people, and he didn't have the internet for the first year of the pandemic — a time when voices on his TV or radio would emphasize how essential access is.
"I was constantly hearing about how important it is during the pandemic not to be isolated," he said.
"I was told again and again how important it was to have the internet to avoid social isolation, which is considered very bad, and I found that very frustrating."
Noyes was eventually able to get home access to the internet through Rogers' Connected for Success program. He said it's helped him significantly, including with his bipolar disorder and depression.