Archive for September, 2010

Engaging i-Canada discussion continues

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

The lively and engaging discussions about i-Canada continue in i-Canada Linkedin Group. Join us and weigh in on where you see the future of public ultra broadband going in Canada.

I have just posted the following comment on the i-Canada LinkedIn discussion:

Yesterday and today John Van Trijp and James Van Leuwen provided two very important postings that are “signs of the times” … outside Canada. John posted a speech by Neelie Kroes, vice president of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda in which she said public funding will be needed to bring about the EU goal of broadband for all across the region by 2013. (Public funding needed to drive broadband across EU) “It is unfair to expect telecoms companies alone to fund the creation of new networks across Europe. We should keep in mind that universal broadband offers benefits beyond the telecoms sector”, she said.

Today, James has posted a report by the International Telecommunications Union to the UN meeting on Millennium Goals (World leaders agree: The future will be Built on Broadband.) In that report, the ITU Secretary-General, Hamadoun Toure, urges all governments to move broadband to the top of their agenda. He said “broadband is the next tipping point, the next truly transformational technology. It can generate jobs, drive growth and productivity and underpin long term economic competitiveness”.

When we look back from 2020 we will know that today’s broadband is the equivalent of gravel roads. Our Canadian challenge is to find government leaders who understand our private sector leader’s views that “paving the roads” properly will be transformative. It will help reverse Canada’s long term decline in innovation, competitiveness and social prosperity.