Strategic Research
The Ministry of Government Services has supported the development of a shared strategic research agenda in cooperation with key stakeholders, in order to explore and improve our understanding of the broader social and economic development potential of broadband.
Improving our understanding of the utilization of and implications associated with broadband networks within existing socio-economic urban, and rural contexts is an important first step when considering long-term, strategic approaches to broadband access in Ontario.
The strategic research will support the development and articulation of a future vision of Ontario as a leader in utilizing broadband access to promote economic and social development. In addition, the strategic research will consider approaches to support development of digital skills and literacy to ensure effective utilization of access for citizen participation in the digital economy and information society.
Explore Publications & Resources link to access all papers commissioned by the ministry and learn more about next priorities on our research agenda.
Feel free to dig into strategic research papers and give us your assessment through rating or comments. Alternatively, we encourage you to download, read and participate in our interactive Digital Divide and Access Wiki, which summarises summary our findings and areas for future exploration and discussion.
Commissioned Research papers on:
- Innovations in Farm Families and Rural Communities: Capacity Development for Broadband Use in Southern Ontario
- Broadband for What? Policy Implications of an Essential Public Utility
- The K-Net Broadband Deployment Model: How a Community-Based Network Integrates Public, Private and Not-For-Profit Sectors to Support Remote and Under-Served Communities in Ontario
- Broadband Technology and Metropolitan Sustainability
- Understanding the Benefits of Broadband: Insights for a Broadband-Enabled Ontario
- Collaborative Geomatics for Participatory Democracy and Sustainable Development: Opportunities, Impacts and Design Implications
- "Network Neutrality" vs. "Network Diversity": Survey on the Debate, Policy Landscape and Implications for Broadband as an Essential Service for Ontarians
- Broadband, ICTs and the Expansion of Ontario SMEs: Towards a Research Agenda
- Broadband in Ontario from an Urban and Regional Perspective: Digital Divides, Content Inflation, Citizen Engagement and Criteria for Success (from the Canadian Urban Institute, 2007)
- Bridging the Digital Divides: the experience of the Learning for Tomorrow Project (L4T) in the Ottawa neighbourhood of Somerset West
- Toward an Interactive Broadband Atlas for Ontarians
- Providing BiblioCommons Outreach to Increase Individuals' Web 2.0 Digital Literacy Skills
- Filling the Network Gaps and Multiplying Smart Applications: Towards the Future of Broadband in Rural Southern Ontario
