Member of Parliament for Dauphin, Swan River, Neepawa is going after some fake internet speed issues in Canada. Dan Mazier just took on the role of Shadow Minister for Rural Economic Development and Connectivity. 

Mazier explains MP for Long Range Mountains, Newfoundland and Labrador Gudie Hutchings is the Minister of Rural Economic Development, and he will shadow her with focus on broadband connectivity.

"I'll be following her and her files and what she's doing on that," notes Mazier. "My focus has always been about rural Canada for the riding. With this particular portfolio, I'll be able to take it and defend and advance rural economic development for all Canadians right now."

Related to this field, Mazier was very instrumental in seeing Bill C288 progress.

"The first time around, it was Bill C299 in the first Parliament," says Mazier. "Then we had another election, and I got drawn again early in for the Private Members Bill. 288 is referring to Internet Service Providers and the service that they actually sell to consumers. Right now, they can sell you 'up-to' speeds, or theoretical speeds. My Bill plans to make it much more clear what a consumer is actually buying."

He says it's to clarify to you what you can expect from an Internet Service Provider while you're using it, especially during peak hours of usage.

"We heard lots of complaints, and we still hear them in rural Manitoba. As people start using it, it's slowing down, and that's all legal right now" notes Mazier. "They can actually sell you a misleading bill of goods that, I think, needs to be corrected for the consumer. What the bill should do is offer more transparency, which it does."

Mazier says the practice is already happening in other G7 countries and allows consumers to actually make a decision on who they're going to have for a provider based on factual information.

"So, I'm looking forward to moving that bill forward," adds Mazier. "It's going to go into second reading, I believe, in the first or second week in November. So, stay tuned on that one."

He says he's also going to continue to work on connectivity side of things.  

"It's interesting when you look at Minister Hutchings' portfolio," continues Mazier. "It's entitled Broadband. We actually had a conversation and we've put 'Connectivity' in there which is a little bit broader. I'm going to do a little bit more research on rural Internet and cell phone service. I cannot get over the holes. There are some things going on since the Rogers upset, and they say they're back to normal. But things haven't been back to normal, especially in the rural areas."

Mazier says he's intent on digging more into this issue.  

"They're talking about 5G now, but you need 10 to almost 20 times more infrastructure to support the 5G network," notes Mazier. "What happens in rural Canada, they're not going to invest in that infrastructure. So where are we at? The more concerning part of this is, yes, we're paying for a product. We're paying sky-high, probably the highest rates for cell phone coverage in the modern world, or G7, anyway. But we got third-world coverage in service and that needs to change."

He stresses that's not acceptable for Canadian service.

"There's also the public safety aspect of this, that's probably more concerning," adds Mazier. "We've had tornadoes go through campgrounds in my riding. I know people that were killed, and that's not very good and not a very good scenario to be in. There are things that need to be addressed on rural connectivity that I hope to sink my teeth into here, bring it to the government's attention, and get some good policy for rural Canada established."

Rural residents are seeing less connectivity and yet the rates keep rising.

"We're just scratching the surface on who can address it, but I have a feeling I'm going to find out who it is," says Mazier. "When I do, let's let everybody know. It's going to be a process, but the bottom line is it's not fair, it's not right, and it needs to be addressed for rural Canada."

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