{"id":1139,"date":"2026-03-12T15:14:06","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T15:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mariannedandurand.ca\/?p=1139"},"modified":"2026-04-02T14:02:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T14:02:53","slug":"private-members-bill-mp-dandurand-aims-to-improve-rural-cellular-coverage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mariannedandurand.ca\/en\/2026\/03\/12\/private-members-bill-mp-dandurand-aims-to-improve-rural-cellular-coverage\/","title":{"rendered":"Private Member\u2019s Bill :  MP Dandurand aims to improve rural cellular coverage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ottawa, March 12, 2026<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0\u2013 While many rural communities and stretches of\u00a0numbered roads\u00a0still lack reliable cellular coverage, Compton\u2013Stanstead MP Marianne Dandurand introduced today in the House of Commons a private member\u2019s bill aimed at improving connectivity in rural areas and strengthening the quality of data used to map network coverage.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.parl.ca\/LegisInfo\/en\/bill\/45-1\/C-268\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Bill <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW225574774 BCX0\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW225574774 BCX0\">C-268<\/span><\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0An Act respecting the\u00a0Spectrum Policy Framework for Canada, would require the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to implement a process to improve and verify the accuracy of cellular coverage data. Current coverage maps rely\u00a0largely on\u00a0data provided by telecommunications companies, which can sometimes create a gap between theoretical coverage and the real-life experience of citizens on the ground.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cIn many rural regions, citizens know there are areas without signal, even when official maps suggest otherwise,\u201d said MP Marianne Dandurand. \u201cBefore we can improve cellular coverage, we need to make sure the data used to measure the problem reflects what people actually experience on the ground.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The bill also calls for a regular review and update of the Spectrum Policy Framework for Canada, which guides how spectrum is used for the deployment of cellular networks nationwide. The last full update to this policy was in 2007.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Finally, the legislation requires the government to give special attention to improving connectivity in rural areas and along numbered highways, addressing communities where market forces alone do not always ensure adequate coverage.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cAccess to cellular service is a matter of public safety, economic development, and regional equity,\u201d added MP Dandurand, who also serves as Chair of the Rural Caucus.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In parallel, the mayor of Martinville, Michel-Henri Goyette, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ourcommons.ca\/petitions\/en\/Petition\/Details?Petition=e-7268\">has launched a petition<\/a> calling on the federal government to take concrete action to improve cellular coverage in his community. MP Dandurand will act as sponsor of the petition in the House of Commons.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cI\u2019m\u00a0very pleased\u00a0that someone at the federal level is taking the lead to move this issue forward. This is a matter of public safety and economic security, affecting not only remote areas but also communities simply underserved by major providers. Martinville is a perfect example: a village of\u00a0nearly 500\u00a0people with no cellular coverage, just 20 minutes from a major\u00a0centre. Unfortunately, this is a situation that repeats too often across Coaticook and neighboring regional counties,\u201d said Mayor Goyette.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Since her election, MP Dandurand has met with elected officials, companies, experts, and citizens to better document connectivity issues in rural areas.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The introduction of this private member\u2019s bill is a concrete step toward improving the tools available to understand network gaps and promote a more\u00a0equitable\u00a0deployment of cellular connectivity across Canada.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ottawa, March 12, 2026\u00a0\u2013 While many rural communities and stretches of\u00a0numbered roads\u00a0still lack reliable cellular coverage, Compton\u2013Stanstead MP Marianne Dandurand introduced today in the House of Commons a private member\u2019s bill aimed at improving connectivity in rural areas and strengthening the quality of data used to map network coverage.\u00a0 Bill \u00a0C-268,\u00a0An Act respecting the\u00a0Spectrum Policy Framework for Canada, would require the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to implement a process to improve and verify the accuracy of cellular coverage data. Current coverage maps rely\u00a0largely on\u00a0data provided by telecommunications companies, which can sometimes create a gap between theoretical coverage and the real-life experience of citizens on the ground.\u00a0 \u201cIn many rural regions, citizens know there are areas without signal, even when official maps suggest otherwise,\u201d said MP Marianne Dandurand. \u201cBefore we can improve cellular coverage, we need to make sure the data used to measure the problem reflects what people&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1032,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1139","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-communiques-de-presse-en"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Private Member\u2019s Bill : MP Dandurand aims to improve rural cellular coverage - Marianne Dandurand<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mariannedandurand.ca\/en\/2026\/03\/12\/private-members-bill-mp-dandurand-aims-to-improve-rural-cellular-coverage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Private Member\u2019s Bill : MP Dandurand aims to improve rural cellular coverage - Marianne Dandurand\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ottawa, March 12, 2026\u00a0\u2013 While many rural communities and stretches of\u00a0numbered roads\u00a0still lack reliable cellular coverage, Compton\u2013Stanstead MP Marianne Dandurand introduced today in the House of Commons a private member\u2019s bill aimed at improving connectivity in rural areas and strengthening the quality of data used to map network coverage.\u00a0 Bill \u00a0C-268,\u00a0An Act respecting the\u00a0Spectrum Policy Framework for Canada, would require the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to implement a process to improve and verify the accuracy of cellular coverage data. Current coverage maps rely\u00a0largely on\u00a0data provided by telecommunications companies, which can sometimes create a gap between theoretical coverage and the real-life experience of citizens on the ground.\u00a0 \u201cIn many rural regions, citizens know there are areas without signal, even when official maps suggest otherwise,\u201d said MP Marianne Dandurand. \u201cBefore we can improve cellular coverage, we need to make sure the data used to measure the problem reflects what people...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mariannedandurand.ca\/en\/2026\/03\/12\/private-members-bill-mp-dandurand-aims-to-improve-rural-cellular-coverage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Marianne Dandurand\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-12T15:14:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-02T14:02:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mariannedandurand.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Design-sans-titre-13.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"940\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"788\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Javier Garcia Lopez\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Javier Garcia Lopez\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mariannedandurand.ca\/en\/2026\/03\/12\/private-members-bill-mp-dandurand-aims-to-improve-rural-cellular-coverage\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mariannedandurand.ca\/en\/2026\/03\/12\/private-members-bill-mp-dandurand-aims-to-improve-rural-cellular-coverage\/\",\"name\":\"Private Member\u2019s Bill : MP Dandurand aims to improve rural cellular coverage - 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