We know Bob Dylan wrote "There’s a slow, slow train comin’ up around the bend", but we do not know if he had the Canadian telecoms regulator in mind whilst the muse was upon him.

We also know that, starting in 2015, the CRTC, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, is to undertake an 'examination' to determine exactly what constitutes a "basic level of communications services" as far as the Canuck's are concerned. However, there is no urgency about a process that is planned to take well over year to reach its conclusion. After all, the last time the CRTC looked at the subject was four years ago.

The investigation will consist of two separate phases - the first 'fact-finding' part will run over the next 12 months and then, starting in April 2016, a public hearing will be held. They don't like to rush into things at the CRTC.

The big decision the regulatory review must reach is whether or not broadband Internet access should be considered and constituted as a "basic communications service." The regulator says the main focus of the examination will be on Canada's many and vast rural and remote areas. Canada defines “rural” as areas with densities of fewer than 400 people per square kilometre, or population centres with fewer than 1,000 people.

Now, many might consider what makes up a basic communications service to be a self-evident no-brainer especially as there are a myriad of 'soup to nuts' definitions already published by regulators the world over. A cut and paste job with a few Canada-specific tweaks would surely do the job but, no, the regulator wants time (and then some) to consider the issue. Could this be because when 'a basic communication service' is finally legally defined, pressure will mount for the introduction of a funding mechanism and formula via which to subsidise the deployment of broadband services in remote and rural areas - and this is a political hot potato?

Indeed it was in May, 2011 that the CRTC last reviewed the subject. Almost in the Jurassic Period as far as the development of broadband technologies is concerned. Back in those antediluvian days the CRTC ruled the provision of Internet access in rural areas was reliant on market forces moderated by what was referred to as "targeted government funding".

However, and significantly, the regulator then refused to set up a funding mechanism through which the industry might subsidise the provision of fast Internet access in remote and rural areas. In other words, the status quo prevailed then and does so to this day.

In that same 2011 review, the regulator ruled that access to land-line telephone service defined 'underserved areas' to be 'basic service obligation'. Then, as now, most telco service companies that meet the obligation get and got a sizeable subsidy to defray the expense of providing basic telecoms services via a special fund to which all telcos with revenues of more than $10 million (Canadian) must contribute.

In an addendum to the 2011 report the CRTC suggested that a speed of 5Mbit/s downstream and 1Mbit upstream should be the target to aim for by the end of this year. Things have moved on a bit since then.