POLICY: Future-Ready Digital Infrastructure in New Construction
UPDATE: This policy was passed unanimously from the floor at the ACC Policy Plenary Session.
The High River Chamber of Commerce is proud to present the below policy, also found here, to the Alberta Chambers of Commerce 2026 Policy Plenary Session in Whitecourt, Alberta in May of 2026.
Issue:
Reliable, high-capacity connectivity is essential infrastructure for modern business operations, workforce participation, and economic competitiveness. Yet many new buildings in urban centres of Alberta are still constructed without consistent, future-ready telecommunications pathways, creating avoidable costs and service delays after occupancy.
Federal and provincial governments have identified connectivity as a strategic priority through broadband strategies and funding commitments. However, availability and performance remain uneven, particularly in rural and underserved communities, and national monitoring and audit reporting confirms persistent gaps despite ongoing investment.
Alberta can take a practical step within its jurisdiction by modernizing construction requirements to ensure new buildings include provider-neutral, future-ready telecommunications-ready pathways capable of accommodating modern fibre-optic cabling and future upgrades without destructive renovation. This would reduce costly retrofits, improve long-term serviceability, and strengthen Alberta’s readiness for digital commerce and workforce needs.
Background:
The Government of Canada has identified broadband connectivity as a national economic priority. In High-Speed Access for All: Canada’s Connectivity Strategy, the federal government links improved connectivity to employment growth and broader economic inclusion across regions. The federal Universal Broadband Fund has also committed over $3 billion to extend high-speed internet to underserved communities.
Despite these investments, national monitoring data from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) indicates that rural communities continue to experience lower broadband availability compared to urban areas, with only an estimated 62% of rural communities meeting the 50/10 Mbps target in 2023.
Further, the Auditor General of Canada reported in 2023 that significant connectivity gaps persist in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities despite ongoing investment efforts.
Provincially, Alberta’s Broadband Strategy identifies connectivity gaps and outlines resource commitments aimed at closing them. It also notes that approximately 67% of rural Albertans lack access to reliable broadband at target speeds.
While broadband expansion is being pursued through service deployment and public investment, a separate and preventable challenge continues to arise: new buildings are not consistently constructed with telecommunications-ready pathways that allow modern services to be installed or upgraded efficiently. When pathway infrastructure is missing or inadequate, retrofitting after occupancy becomes costly and disruptive.
Recent Canadian policy analysis also identifies access to passive infrastructure as a key barrier to deployment efficiency, reinforcing the value of policy attention on pathways and building readiness.
Recommendation:
The Alberta Chambers of Commerce recommends that the Government of Alberta:
Modernize the Alberta Building Code for digital readiness by requiring provider-neutral, future-ready telecommunications pathways in all new residential, commercial, and industrial construction in urban centres.
• Include specific exemptions for "low-occupancy" or "limited-utility" agricultural and storage structures where broadband connectivity is not a functional requirement for the building's primary use.Ensure construction requirements define "readiness" in a technology-neutral manner, understanding that while pathways should accommodate current and new methods, the code needs to formally recognize that in rural or remote areas, these pathways may not be feasible or may terminate at property lines.
Formally recognize telecommunications-ready pathways as core building infrastructure for multi-unit developments, primary residences and dedicated business builds in urban locations and implement a de minimis threshold where these requirements only apply to projects above a certain square footage or those already requiring other serviced utilities.
Sources:
https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/high-speed-internet-canada/en
https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/PolicyMonitoring/ban.htm
https://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/att__e_44225.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://cdhowe.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Commentary_615.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com