CRTC must mandate TSPs to provide broadband infrastructure data

TSPs be mandated to provide accurate and complete geospatial and tabular data regarding their broadband infrastructure coverage and the operating performance and prices of their broadband services.  The CRTC could anonymize some of this data to protect the security of TSPs networks but this data would be made available so legislators, policy makers, funding program staff may accurately size the gaps and develop regulations, policies, programs and funding to close of these gaps and so the public may be assured of transparency.  As well, future programs must include validating TSP data by surveying residents and businesses and consulting with municipalities to ground truth the information.  Maps and tables of anonymized versions of the data, to protect TSP security concerns, should be made public, so citizens may understand how their broadband Internet needs are being met and how their taxpayer and ratepayer subsidies are being invested. This would also provide greater transparency to the telecom industry and the CRTC, giving consumers and municipalities the ability to hold the regime to account, leading to higher confidence in the CRTC and TSPs from citizens, the media, municipalities and federal and provincial legislators.  Importantly, this would enable accurate, surgically targeted taxpayer and ratepayer funding to close gaps that actually exist, thereby more efficiently spending those scarce dollars.