The technological infrastructure

As part of a range of national initiatives to support the expanded use of what are termed the "new information technologies" both government and private sector agencies have made commitments to enhance the communications infrastructure so that it has the capacity to support what is generally termed "broadband access." Since the Canadian communications infrastructure comprises a complex set of systems entailing networks of land lines that carry phone and cable signals, satellite transmission of data, voice and broadcast signals, high powered transmitters, and short wave, this endeavor represents a complex interconnection of both private and public sector agencies. One of the major players. Stentor, the alliance of major Canadian telephone companies, has announced that it plans to spend from $8-10 billion to provide broadband access to 80% to 90% of businesses and homes by 2005.

This is a formidable task. However, it may be useful to take a step back and examine what is actually available now in terms of basic telephone service to Canadians, look at what will be available in the near future and what it will cost the user, and consider the implications for learning technologies that require various levels of telephone access.

Telephone systems

According to a report prepared for the Information Highway Advisory Council,¹⁰ 95% of Canadians have telephone service, but as of August, 1994, about 275,000 households had only party line service. Other reports indicate that those without phones tend to be in more remote areas. Those that want to use a computer for communication and exchange of information must have access to a private telephone line. The only region where all subscribers have private lines is Saskatchewan, where SaskTel now provides single line service to all its customers¹¹, and Manitoba Tel planned to convert all party lines to single lines by 1996.¹²

There are still regions of the country where there is no basic telephone access, and other areas where there is no access that would enable the use of a computer for communication or transfer of information. And while 80% of the country may eventually obtain broadband access, it is worthwhile to examine which regions will obtain access first, and to find out about the 20% that appear to be left out of the plan. To do this, we also need to take a very quick look at what is called the "regulatory framework", that is, at the set of rules and regulations that govern what the telephone, cable and broadcasting systems can and cannot do, and these are largely set by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (the CRTC).

The CRTC

While the federal government articulates communications policy, the CRTC sets up the rules and regulations that carry out this policy. Until the fairly recent past, the general direction of policy had been to address Canada's vast geography by distributing some of the costs of communication to more remote regions throughout the system as a whole, so that more remote areas did not bear the brunt of the entire cost of serving that area. However, with the advent of deregulation and of new communications providers, especially of long distance services, there has been a shift both in policy and in regulation towards more "cost recovery" on each kind of service. This means that the cost of communication is likely to be higher in more remote or less populated areas, and, as well, that the cost of local service will also increase, since telephone companies argue that revenues from long distance have subsidized local service.

Issues related to infrastructure

In terms of the communications infrastructure to support new learning technologies, one issue is that those who live in urban areas are going to have access to the broadband systems first, because their larger populations are most likely to provide a return on investment, and those in more remote or less populated areas will receive this service much later or not at all, or at a cost that will be far greater than that paid by urban residents. As one example, BC Tel quotes charges for the broadband system known as ISDN as follows: for those within 4 km of a BC Tel central office, $55 monthly charge, and a $60 one time installation charge: for those beyond 4 km of a BC Tel office, a $75 monthly charge and a $100 one time installation charge.¹³ This compares to a current monthly basic phone rate of about $16 to $22.

While these infrastructure developments are proposed as a means of providing greater access to new technologies, in fact the impact may be to limit access to learning using these technologies if this enhanced service is not universally available or affordable. Educational providers also face this question as they consider the use of various technologies and the learners they intend to reach.

One of the other parts of the infrastructure system that deserves mention is the electrical power system, which, while it may be taken for granted in many urban areas, can be unreliable in parts of the country. Virtually all the new learning technologies require reliable and consistent electrical power.