University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2021-01-15 Public good, private providers?: Alternative internet networks in Alberta Anderson, Katelyn M. Anderson, K. M. (2021). Public good, private providers?: Alternative internet networks in Alberta (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. http://hdl.handle.net/1880/113050 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Public good, private providers?: Alternative internet networks in Alberta by Katelyn M Anderson A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA STUDIES CALGARY, ALBERTA JANUARY, 2021 © Katelyn M Anderson 2021 Abstract Despite high-speed broadband access being named a basic service by the Canadian Radio- television and Telecommunications Commission in late 2016, many Canadians remain cut off from the internet, unable to participate in the social, economic, and political facets of life that have increasingly moved online. This research project considers existing alternative internet network models in Alberta. Instead of waiting for incumbent internet service providers to solve the problem of universal access, several Albertan communities have taken steps to connect themselves. Twenty years after the inception of the provincial internet backbone, the SuperNet, how have Albertan communities engaged with internet infrastructure? As politicians, regulators, and citizens increasingly state the essential nature of high-quality, affordable internet service as a public good, what lessons, if any, can be learned from the different ways non-incumbent operators conceptualize, build, and operate alternative networks? Using qualitative interviews, policy documents, and marketing materials, I focus on three network models: a fixed wireless access network in a rural community, a non-profit internet exchange, and a municipally owned and operated fibre network in an urban centre. Drawing upon political economy of communications literature as a theoretical framework, I consider what policy recommendations can be made based on these case studies. i Preface This thesis is the original, independent work of the author, K. M. Anderson. ii Acknowledgements First and foremost, thank you to my supervisor, Dr. Gregory Taylor. Your guidance, encouragement, and patience helped to make this fun, and your enthusiasm for the work you do is contagious; thank you. To my committee, Dr. Maria Bakardjieva and Dr. Rob McMahon, thank you for reading my work, and for your encouragement and thoughtfulness throughout my M.A. Thank you to the faculty in the Communications, Media, and Film Studies department at the University of Calgary, as well as to all the staff, especially Megan Freeman. To all the scholars, advocates, and network builders I cite throughout these pages, especially David Basto, Theo de Raadt, and Don McLeod: I count myself lucky to have engaged with your work. Thank you for helping to grow my imagination. Lastly, I want to acknowledge the many other dozens of people who have invested their time and energy in helping me learn, even when no one was watching, and who granted me flexibility, even when it made their lives a little harder: May I remember your grace and pass it forward. iii List of Abbreviations 5G – Fifth Generation AGT – Alberta Government Telephone Co. AS – Autonomous System BCE – Bell Canada Enterprises BTLR – Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review CCN – Calgary City Net CDN – Content Delivery Network CMCR – Canadian Media Concentration Research CMR – Communications Monitoring Report CRTC – Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission DNS – Domain Name Server FCC – Federal Communications Commission GB – Gigabyte ICANN – Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ICT – Information and Communication Technology IHAC – The Information Highway Advisory Council IP – Internet Protocol ISP – Internet service provider ISED – Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada ITU – International Telecommunications Union IXP – Internet Exchange Point LoRaWAN – Long-Range Wide Area Network Mbps – Megabits per second MPLS – Multiprotocol Label Switching NBTF – National Broadband Task Force NREN – National Research and Education Network OECD – Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development PEC – Political Economy of Communication RoW – Rights-of-Way YYCIX – Calgary Internet Exchange iv List of Figures and Table Figure 1: Map of Alberta’s SuperNet (Service of Alberta, n.d.) Figure 2: Town of Viking Internet Service current and planned towers. (Town of Viking, 2020) Figure 3: Town of Viking Internet Service speeds, about 500 metres from the grain elevator, as of November 11, 2020. (McLeod, 2020) Figure 4: YYCIX network map, as of early 2020. (YYCIXd, 2020) Figure 5: YYCIX network map, showing future additions in progress. (YYCIXd, 2020) Figure 6: City of Calgary’s past and current revenues from city-owned fibre infrastructure. (City of Calgary, 2020c) Table 1: Methodological Framework Table 2: Timeline of City of Calgary’s fibre infrastructure. (Basto, 2020; City of Calgary, 2015, 2018, 2020c) v Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ i Preface............................................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iii List of Abbreviations ..................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures and Table ................................................................................................................ v Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... vi Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Structure of Research Project ...................................................................................................... 4 Literature Review .................................................................................................................... 4 Methodology ............................................................................................................................ 4 Theory ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Case Studies ............................................................................................................................. 6 Setting Up the Discussion ........................................................................................................... 8 Who Has Access: Geographical differences ........................................................................... 8 Who Has Access: Income Differences .................................................................................... 9 Who Has Control: The State of Competition in Canada ....................................................... 10 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 11 Literature Review.......................................................................................................................... 13 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 13 Defining ‘Access’ ...................................................................................................................... 13 ‘Access for What Purposes?’ .................................................................................................... 15 ‘Access for Whom, and to What?’ ............................................................................................ 16 Is Access Enough?: From Digital Divides to the Data Divide .................................................. 18 Scholarship on Municipal Broadband ....................................................................................... 21 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 25 Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 27 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 27 Methodology Used ...................................................................................................................