🍁 civid v1

Status and purpose

• Bill C-268 was at first reading on March 12, 2026. It would create statutory requirements concerning mobile coverage data and review of the Spectrum Policy Framework for Canada.
• The bill’s preamble says the Framework was last updated in 2007 and identifies connectivity gaps, particularly in rural, remote and Indigenous communities and along numbered roads.

Coverage data

• Within six months after the Act comes into force, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) would have to establish a process to ensure the accuracy of mobile network coverage data Canadian carriers provide to it, including data on areas served and deployment requirements.
• The bill states that this requirement does not limit the CRTC’s existing powers, duties or functions under any Act of Parliament.

Framework review

• Within 18 months after the Act comes into force, the Minister of Industry would have to undertake a comprehensive review of the Framework and table a report in each House of Parliament within the specified sitting-day deadline.
• The Minister would have to consult telecommunications providers and spectrum licence holders; rural and remote municipal and Indigenous community representatives; public safety and emergency services; relevant researchers and academic experts; and the CRTC. The Minister could also consult other stakeholders.
• The report would have to address consultation results, competition issues, rural and remote connectivity, numbered roads, public safety and network coverage data, and set out changes the Minister considers necessary.
• In setting out changes, the Minister would have to prioritize connectivity and consider both the stated insufficiency of competition and market forces and coverage data verified through the CRTC process.
• The report would have to be published on the Department of Industry website within 30 days after it is tabled in both Houses.

Ongoing reporting

• Within five years after the initial report is tabled in both Houses, and every five years after that date, the Minister would have to report on the Framework’s implementation and effectiveness, including conclusions and recommendations.
• Each report would have to be tabled in both Houses within the specified sitting-day deadline and published online within 30 days after tabling in both.

Who is affected and other details

• The bill places duties on the CRTC and Minister of Industry. It also affects Canadian carriers that provide coverage data and stakeholders involved in the required consultations.
• The supplied text does not specify an implementation cost or a date on which the Act would come into force.