In August 2021, the Local News Data Hub reported on the results of 69,000 internet speed tests conducted from locations in 53 communities across Canada. Our goal was to compare the test result data on connection speeds to the basic service objectives set for internet speed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). The commission says Canadian households should have internet connections with access to broadband speeds of at least 50 megabits per second (Mbps) for downloads and 10 Mbps for uploads.
The internet speed test data were obtained from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), a national not-for-profit organization that manages .ca internet domains and, in its words, is committed to “creating a secure, accessible and resilient internet, for all Canadians.” The CIRA internet speed test, available on its website, launched in 2015. Since then, nearly one million tests have been performed by people who want to determine their connection speed.
The results of the Local News Data Hub analysis, reported in one national story and 11 local stories disseminated by the Canadian Press wire service, demonstrated the extent to which high-speed internet remains a pipe dream for many residents in both rural areas and larger cities.
Except for Surrey, B.C. and Quebec City, the majority of test results in all of the other 51 communities fell short of meeting the CRTC’s basic service objectives. This included 18 places where less than 10 per cent of the tests met the speed standards.
Details of service provider contracts submitted with 11,385 tests also showed that users who tested their connections weren’t getting what they paid for. A comparison of the contract details with test results showed that the contracted download and upload speeds were delivered in only nine per cent of cases.
In emailed statements, Bell Canada and Rogers Communications, two of Canada’s largest telecoms, both pointed to a CRTC study released in September 202 that concluded the majority of Canadian internet service providers met or exceeded the maximum advertised download and upload speeds.