Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board Broadband Situation Analysis
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Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board Broadband Situation Analysis Final Report | August 2020 Edmonton Metropolitan Region Broadband Situation Analysis Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Socioeconomic Impact Assessment ......................................................................................................................................... 2 Current State Analysis ................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Definition of the Desired Future State .................................................................................................................................... 9 Gap Analysis and Recommendations ................................................................................................................................... 13 2. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................ 15 Background ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Project Approach .......................................................................................................................................................................... 17 3. The Socioeconomic Implications of Broadband .......................................................................................................... 18 Context ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 18 Approach ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 23 Methodology ................................................................................................................................................................................. 24 Economic Impact .......................................................................................................................................................................... 28 Qualitative Social Impacts ......................................................................................................................................................... 31 4. Current State Analysis ............................................................................................................................................................ 44 Approach ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 44 EMRB Member Current State .................................................................................................................................................. 46 Non-EMRB Member Current State ........................................................................................................................................ 79 Ecosystem Current State............................................................................................................................................................ 83 5. Definition of the Desired Future State ............................................................................................................................. 90 ICT Technology – Evolution and Implications ................................................................................................................... 90 Jurisdictional Scan ........................................................................................................................................................................ 96 Desired Future State .................................................................................................................................................................. 123 6. Gap Analysis and Recommendations ............................................................................................................................. 124 Gap Analysis ................................................................................................................................................................................. 124 Recommendations for Consideration ................................................................................................................................ 126 Appendices ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 134 Appendix A: SROI Methodology .......................................................................................................................................... 134 Appendix B: Broadband Current State Legend .............................................................................................................. 140 Appendix C: ISPs and Backhaul Providers ........................................................................................................................ 141 Appendix D: Connectivity Technologies ........................................................................................................................... 145 Appendix E: Business Models for Municipal Fibre Deployment .............................................................................. 154 Appendix F: List of Stakeholders Interviewed ................................................................................................................. 165 Appendix G: Service Level Data ............................................................................................................................................ 167 Edmonton Metropolitan Region Broadband Situation Analysis Appendix H: Glossary of Terms ............................................................................................................................................. 168 Appendix I: EMRB Broadband Maps ................................................................................................................................... 169 Appendix J: List of Tables and Figures ............................................................................................................................... 173 iii Edmonton Metropolitan Region Broadband Situation Analysis 1. Executive Summary The world is witnessing an economic revolution as the value of physical assets are being far exceeded by the value of knowledge and data. Access to information and communications technology (ICT) has become critical to sustainable global economic competitiveness and increased quality of life in virtually every society on the planet. Moving forward, the requirement for connected infrastructure is no longer about simply moving data around, it is essential to enabling the fundamental societal transformation that impacts all aspects of daily life. In 2020, the imperative for ICT has become immensely relevant. As the world witnessed the coronavirus spread, public health measures were implemented, disrupting the function of business and entire societies. In response, ICT is playing a vital role in ensuring those practicing social distancing can still work, communicate with family members, gain education and health care access, and contribute to society. This pandemic has highlighted the importance ICT plays in enabling the continuity of governments and businesses, and the speed of future economic recovery efforts. Across the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, many businesses have chosen to close their physical offices and have employees work from home in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19. In these unprecedented times, ICT is integral to ensuring economic activity can still occur and communities are connected. It is in these challenging times that the need for digital connectivity and internet access couldn’t be more important, no matter where you live in the Region. This cannot be emphasised enough; the world is changing rapidly. Broadband connectivity is fundamental to economic transformation and plays a vital role in improving quality of life. Any globally competitive region needs a clear strategy and plan in place to ensure they are not left behind. Recognizing how fundamentally important connectivity is to the economic growth and prosperity of the Region, the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board (EMRB) commissioned the development of this Broadband Situation Analysis to better understand the current state of broadband deployment in the Region, to inform future work, and to enhance the economic competitiveness. Broadband is a critical horizontal enabler and catalyst essential for the Region to achieve the vision and outcomes of the Growth Plan. As the EMRB’s Growth Plan sets the direction until 2044, ICT transforms every policy area within the Plan. For example, within the transportation policy area, autonomous vehicle technology is advancing rapidly and will require 5G connectivity (or beyond) to be fully utilized.1 Regardless of current