--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/the-contribution-of-broadband-to-the-economic-development-of-first-nations-in-canada/" title: "The Contribution of Broadband to the Economic Development of First Nations in Canada" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-02T13:03:44+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-02T13:03:44+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "broadband" - "Canada" - "earnings" - "econometrics" - "economic development" - "employment" - "First Nations" - "Indigenous" - "internet" - "reserves" country_focus: - "Canada" province_region: - "National" research_theme: - "Indigenous Economic Development" - "Technology and Innovation" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/old-reports_hero_banner_bg.webp" status: "publish" --- # The Contribution of Broadband to the Economic Development of First Nations in Canada Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/the-contribution-of-broadband-to-the-economic-development-of-first-nations-in-canada/ # The Contribution of Broadband to the Economic Development of First Nations in Canada [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2013-04-1.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. 2013. “The Contribution of Broadband to the Economic Development of First Nations in Canada.” CSLS Research Report 2013-04. Ottawa. https://csls.ca/research/the-contribution-of-broadband-to-the-economic-development-of-first-nations-in-canada/ ## Author: - Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 2013-04 July 2013 65 pages ## Related research [Closing the First Nations Education Gap in Canada: Assessing Progress and Estimating the Economic Benefits — An Update Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) February 2023 | Report 2023-01 | 101 pages](https://csls.ca/research/closing-the-first-nations-education-gap-in-canada-assessing-progress-and-estimating-the-economic-benefits-an-update-2023-01/) [Measuring the Appropriate Outcomes for Better Decision-Making: A Framework to Guide the Analysis of Health Policy Matthew Calver March 2016 | Report 2016-03 | 132 pages](https://csls.ca/research/measuring-the-appropriate-outcomes-for-better-decision-making-a-framework-to-guide-the-analysis-of-health-policy-2016-03/) [Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Andrew Sharpe, Christopher Ross November 2011 | Report 2011-17 | 124 pages](https://csls.ca/research/living-standards-domain-of-the-canadian-index-of-wellbeing-2011-17/) [Productivity: Key to Economic Success Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) March 1998 | Report 1998-01 | 99 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-key-to-economic-success/) [Apprenticeship in Canada: A Training System Under Siege? Andrew Sharpe December 1999 | Report 1999-03 | 59 pages](https://csls.ca/research/apprenticeship-in-canadaa-training-system-under-siege/) [A Survey of Indicators of Economic and Social Well-being Andrew Sharpe July 1999 | Report 1999-cprn | 72 pages](https://csls.ca/research/a-survey-of-indicators-of-economic-and-social-well-being/) [A Comparison of Canadian and U.S. Labour Market Performance, 1989-2000 Andrew Sharpe April 2001 | Report 2001-01 | 29 pages](https://csls.ca/research/a-comparison-of-canadian-and-u-s-labour-market-performance-1989-2000/) [Creating a More Efficient Labour Market Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) June 2001 | Report 2001-02 | 147 pages](https://csls.ca/research/creating-a-more-efficient-labour-market/) [The Impact of the National Child Benefit Supplement on the Low Income Status of Canadian Families with Children: The SPSD/M Results Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) June 2002 | Report 2002-01 | 59 pages](https://csls.ca/research/the-impact-of-the-national-child-benefit-supplement-on-the-low-income-status-of-canadian-families-with-children-the-spsd-m-results/) [Productivity Trends in Natural Resources Industries in Canada Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) February 2003 | Report 2003-01a | 69 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-trends-in-natural-resources-industries-in-canada/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn The faster access to information made possible by broadband Internet connectivity has had an important impact on the economy, transforming existing production processes and making new ones possible. The economic literature has shown that, in general, broadband has a statistically significant, positive effect on economic development. This report represents a first attempt at estimating the impact of broadband on economic development and job creation in First Nations reserves in Canada using econometric techniques. The report offers an up-to-date overview on the state of broadband availability in First Nations reserves, providing both national and provincial breakdowns of the data. It also details the main findings of the literature on the effect of broadband on economic development. Using a sample of 241 First Nations reserves and data from the 2001 and 2006 Aboriginal Population Profiles, we estimate the impact of broadband on average earnings and employment growth. Our econometric analysis failed to show a statistically significant impact of broadband on economic development. This finding, however, should be interpreted with caution, as severe data limitations might have affected the accuracy of the results. It is suggested that future econometric studies on the topic would benefit from more and better broadband data. L’accès plus rapide à l’information rendu possible par la connectivité Internet à large bande a eu une incidence importante sur l’économie, transformant les processus de production existants et en rendant de nouveaux possibles. La littérature économique a démontré que, de façon générale, le haut débit a un effet positif et statistiquement significatif sur le développement économique. Ce rapport constitue une première tentative d’estimation de l’incidence du haut débit sur le développement économique et la création d’emplois dans les réserves des Premières Nations au Canada, à l’aide de techniques économétriques. Le rapport offre un aperçu actualisé de l’état de la disponibilité du haut débit dans les réserves des Premières Nations, en présentant des ventilations des données à l’échelle nationale et provinciale. Il détaille également les principaux constats de la littérature sur l’effet du haut débit sur le développement économique. À l’aide d’un échantillon de 241 réserves des Premières Nations et de données tirées des Profils de la population autochtone de 2001 et de 2006, nous estimons l’incidence du haut débit sur la croissance des revenus moyens et de l’emploi. Notre analyse économétrique n’a pas permis de démontrer une incidence statistiquement significative du haut débit sur le développement économique. Ce constat doit toutefois être interprété avec prudence, car d’importantes limites des données pourraient avoir nui à l’exactitude des résultats. Il est suggéré que de futures études économétriques sur le sujet bénéficieraient de données sur le haut débit plus nombreuses et de meilleure qualité. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2013-04-1.pdf)