Ashton says Canadians pay some of the highest prices in the world for cellular and internet access but at the same time many people in our region have limited or no coverage.

She notes for decades successive governments have left cell phone and internet companies with very little regulation – and absolutely no cap on what they can charge people adding these are services Canadians rely on for work, school and health care and they need them to stay connected to family and friends but prices are skyrocketing and families are facing bills in the hundreds of dollars every month.

Ashton says we must use every tool available to make life more affordable for people, including affordable cell phone and internet service and we must do more to expand high-speed Internet and cell phone service.