Québec solidaire proposes the creation of a public company
Québec solidaire proposes the creation of a public company
Québec solidaire unveiled a first proposal to revive the economy, entitled Réseau Quebec with a public Internet infrastructure to catch up with the digital backlog in our regions. The party calls it an increasingly urgent “remedy” after the pandemic.
“The pandemic has revealed how the Internet is an essential service in Quebec. Unfortunately, the only thing that is slower than the Internet in the regions is the government’s poor strategy for connecting them. The hundreds of thousands of families without high-speed Internet deserve to work, study and socialize at the same speed as the people of Montreal and Quebec, without spending a fortune. Mr. Legault, the only player able to deliver the goods. To wait until after the telecoms is to put an end to the economic recovery of our regions, “said Quebec solidaire spokesperson Manon Massé.
Québec solidaire proposes to found Réseau Quebec, a public company responsible for installing fiber optic and cellular network infrastructures throughout Quebec. Thanks to an initial investment of $ 1 billion, including the amounts already announced by the government, Réseau Québec would have as a priority mandate to connect poorly or unserved regions to a very high speed network (100 Mb / s). The public company would do business with independent suppliers rooted in their community. Québec solidaire estimates that this approach would reduce consumer prices by 30%.
According to Québec solidaire, the Charest, Marois, Couillard and Legault governments have all promised to deploy high-speed Internet across the country. Despite the hundreds of millions of dollars spent since 2003, in addition to significant federal investments, 340,000 homes are still denied access. Note that in the Pontiac,
Picanoc Fiber Connection, owned by the MRC Pontiac, the MRC de la Vallée-de-la-Gatineau, the Centre de service scolaire des Hauts-Bois-de-l’Outaouais and the Western Quebec school board, says it wants to connect all households in the Pontiac in the next 5 years. The project is awaiting a request for funding from the federal government.
