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OTTAWA — Internet advocacy groups say they’re unhappy Canada’s telecoms regulator has halved the minimum speed that projects need to meet for a $750-million fund designed to make broadband internet more accessible.

The CRTC said in its policy release Thursday it changed the target so more projects would be eligible for the fund, since challenges such as geography, transportation costs and other barriers make the higher speed harder to meet.

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The decision, however, shows a lack of ambition to provide Canadians with faster internet services, said OpenMedia executive director Laura Tribe in a statement.

“Today’s decision is a stunning step backwards…if Navdeep Bains and Justin Trudeau are serious about building an innovative and connected Canada, they need to send this decision back for reconsideration immediately.”

Tribe said the decision goes against the target of 50 megabits per second for downloads and 10 Mbps uploads that the regulator had initially set.