New CRTC Policies Aimed to Reduce Internet Costs

Fort St. John and other northern communities may benefit from the new Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) policies aimed at reducing internet costs. The CRTC's initiatives include public consultations on equitable subsidies, automatic bill reductions by Northwestel Inc. for extended service disruptions, and improved network access for competing providers. These changes respond to longstanding issues of high costs and frequent service outages, affecting residents' access to essential online services. Read more here.

CRTC plans to provide a subsidy that will be available to households and ISPs in the Far North, including terrestrial and satellite-based providers. This means that Starlink, SpaceX’s low-Earth orbit satellite service, will be eligible to offer discounted internet access.

On January 30, 2025, the CRTC instructed Northwestel to begin automatically reducing bills for extended service disruptions of a day or more. Additionally, the CRTC is proposing policy that it hopes will improve access to Northwestel network for competing providers.

As the consultation process continues, the final list of the northern communities eligible to receive subsidy is still being finalized.