Essex County Warden Tom Bain is all for the CRTC's decision to declare broadband internet a basic service across the country.
Canada's telecom regulator came down with the ruling on Wednesday and forces internet providers to pay into a $750-million fund over the next five years to support the needed upgrades.
Bain says the private sector can't be left all on its own.
"Certainly, I think it's a good idea to have private enterprise pay their fair share, but I think both the federal and provincial governments need to kick in their share of funding," says Bain.
Securing high speed internet in more rural areas — like Essex County — will be key to keeping the local economy strong according to Bain.
"The only way we're going to remain leaders as far as the economy and stuff goes is to make sure we have the best in high speed internet," says Bain. "Businesses today depend on it."
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is looking to see households and businesses in Canada be able to have speeds of at least 50 mb per second for downloads and 10 mb per second for uploads within the next 10 to 15 years.