Fixing the digital disconnect in First Nations communities

While Canada’s Indigenous population grows at four times the national average, over 60% of BC’s rural and remote Indigenous communities lack adequate internet connectivity.

Lisa Mueller, founder of the Nation2Nation Forum.

The lack of affordable, high-speed internet connectivity is blocking the cultural revitalization and economic diversification of remote Indigenous communities, says a First Nations business leader fighting to fix the urban-rural digital divide in British Columbia.

“Some communities, especially in Northern BC are still using unreliable dial-up services while large swaths of Highway 16 don’t even have cellphone service,” said Lisa Mueller, who founded the Nation2Nation Forum, a platform for Indigenous leaders to share their perspectives on economic development and major projects.

“Remote First Nations communities need high-speed connectivity and we need it now,” said Mueller, who hails from the Tsilhqot'in Nation.

Acknowledging the lack of cellular access on Highway 16, The Highway of Tears, which has been the location of many missing and murdered Indigenous women, the government is building 12 new cellular sites from Prince Rupert to Witset for 252 highway kilometres, and connectivity at three rest areas.

“High-speed connectivity is essential to First Nations' success and partnerships but many in remote Indigenous communities know a different reality,” said Mueller, who is the strategic advisor for the upcoming 2022 Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase in Vancouver next May.

“Affordable high-speed connectivity will allow our communities to set their own priorities, both culturally and economically, and develop projects that will improve the lives of Indigenous youth to become the leaders of tomorrow.

“Fixing this digital gap is key to the truth and reconciliation process,” said Mueller.

High-speed internet is essential for First Nations voices to be, said Mueller, adding that without "connectivity," not all voices will be heard.

BC’s auditor general in a report last summer found that almost all urban areas in the province have high-speed internet.

“But 60% of rural and remote communities and 62% of rural and remote Indigenous communities still lack adequate internet (i.e., access to the 50/10 Mbps target speed),” said the report.

The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of access to reliable, high-speed internet as our work, school and personal lives have increasingly shifted online, said the auditor general, adding the government has provided $190 million in funding for the Connecting British Columbia program.

In 2017, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) found that only about 24 percent of households in First Nations communities had high-speed internet, compared with 97 percent of urban and 37 percent of rural households.

In a more recent report, the Royal Bank of Canada found a 13-percentage-point gulf in confidence between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth when it comes to digital literacy. The gap was widest among those still in school and narrowed as young people gained work experience.

“Indigenous youth are going to play a key role in bridging their communities to the digital age. Imagine how much more they could do if given the right tools,” said the report authors, collating data from a survey of 2,000 First Nations youth.

That survey found that the Indigenous youth population in Canada is growing at a pace four times faster than the rest of the country's youth, while Indigenous people create new businesses at nine times the Canadian average.

The RBC report authors urged Ottawa to fulfill the federal commitment to provide high-speed Internet, including broadband and related infrastructure to every Canadian by 2030, prioritizing underserviced Indigenous communities.

They also highlighted the need for partnerships and investments in online education to expand course offerings for Indigenous students and more representation of Indigenous culture, languages and content in online spaces.

Stewart Muir, the founder of the Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase, which is returning for its third annual event this year, said “connectivity” will be a key theme of the conference.

He said Canada's Indigenous economy is worth $30 billion and it is expected to more than triple in the coming years, hitting $100 billion by 2025.

“Economic reconciliation is the key to securing bright futures for First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities — and connectivity opens the door to continued prosperity for all Canadians in this era of transformative change,” he said.

The Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase runs May 26-27, in-person and online.