CRTC hearings were held in Whitehorse from April 17 to April 21 to address the slow, expensive, and unreliable telecommunications services in the North. Yukon First Nations economic development analyst Peter Turner was the first to present at the hearings. Turner said that consumers and businesses in the Yukon are being offered internet service packages that cost two to four times more than in southern Canada. The limited cell phone service and the lack of cellular service on highways add to the problem. The Council of Yukon First Nations believes the CRTC should apply national policies and standards in the North to provide northern users with comparable access in price, performance, and reliability to services elsewhere in the country. Turner added that the federal government needs to recognize the right of First Nations people to participate in cooperative decision-making and actions related to the affordable provisioning of telecommunications services in the north. On April 18, Adrienne Hill represented the First Nation of Nacho Nyäk Dun (FNNND) in Mayo, and suggested that the CRTC should not assume that telecommunications is not a First Nation concern. Hill called for a holistic approach to being involved in sustainable development initiatives.
According to Turner, limited cell phone service and lack of cellular service on highways in the North are further exacerbating the primary challenge of the high cost of internet service packages that are being offered to consumers and businesses in the Yukon. During the CRTC hearings held in Whitehorse, the Yukon First Nations raised the issue of the high cost, slow speeds, and unreliable connections in the North compared to the citizens of southern Canada in terms of both quality and cost of consumer and business internet access and all communications services. This discrepancy is unacceptable and inconsistent with the Telecommunications Act policy, equitable regulatory treatment, and declared federal intentions and legislation.
Turner argued that the COVID-19 pandemic revealed that access to unlimited internet is a basic critical utility like electricity or potable water, particularly in the North. Hill represented the First Nation of Nacho Nyäk Dun (FNNND) in Mayo and compared access to telecommunications to other public utilities. Hill believes that it is important to have some participation in how laws and policies are developed and in relation to telecommunications, as First Nations have a role to play beyond being involved in fish and wildlife regimes. She also cautioned against any new subsidy based on race or region and suggested income testing. Hill called for a holistic approach to being involved in sustainable development initiatives that help First Nations maintain a way of life and a cultural connectivity to how they used to live and operate, which is essential for their identity and ongoing survival.