Dr. Catherine Middleton
Dr. Middleton is a Professor at the Ted Rogers School of Information Technology Management. An expert on telecommunications policy in Canada, her research focuses on advancing digital inclusion to ensure equitable access to digital society and enable full participation in the digital economy. Her research examines the ways in which markets and regulation impact the rollout and use of fixed and wireless broadband networks in Canada and internationally, investigates the causes and impacts of digital exclusion, and identifies policies and actions to advance meaningful adoption of digital technologies and reduce digital divides.
Dr. Middleton held a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair from 2007-2017, served as a MITACS Policy Fellow at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in 2017-2018 and is a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. Dr. Middleton’s research has been funded by SSHRC, Infrastructure Canada, Institute for a Broadband-Enabled Society, the Networks of Centres of Excellence, Statistics Canada and Ryerson University. Her research projects have investigated the use of ubiquitous communication technologies in organizations, the development of next generation broadband networks (including Australia’s National Broadband Network), competition in the Canadian broadband market, Canadian spectrum policy and Canadians’ internet use. She was the Principal Investigator for the Community Wireless Infrastructure Research Project (external link) , the Co-Investigator on the Canadian Spectrum Policy Research Project (external link) and was a member of the Ageing + Communication + Technologies (external link) research team. With colleague Dr. Gregory Taylor she recently edited Frequencies: International Spectrum Policy (MQUP (external link) ).
Dr. Middleton holds the ICD.D (Institute of Corporate Directors, Director) designation and is currently serving as a Board Member for the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-Television Services (CCTS) and the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA). She is a past Board Chair of CANARIE (Canada’s research and education network), a past Trustee of ARIN (American Registry for Internet Numbers) and also served on the board of Compute Ontario.
Google Scholar Profile (external link) .
Development and use of new communication technologies, ubiquitous communication technologies, broadband networks, internet usage.
| Books |
|---|
| Choudrie, J., & Middleton, C. (Eds.). (2014). Management of Broadband Technology Innovation: Policy, Deployment and Use. New York: Routledge. |
| Taylor, G., & Middleton, C. (Eds.). (2020). Frequencies: International Spectrum Policy. Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press. |
| Book Chapters |
|---|
Middleton, C. (2014). Mobile Media and Next Generation Broadband: Policy and Markets. In G. Goggin & L. Hjorth (Eds.), Routledge Companion to Mobile Media (pp. 94-103). London: Routledge. |
Choudrie, J., & Middleton, C. (2014). Introduction. In J. Choudrie & C. Middleton (Eds.), Management of Broadband Technology Innovation: Policy, Deployment and Use (pp. 1-24). New York: Routledge. |
Middleton, C. A. (2013). Beyond Broadband Access: What Do We Need to Measure, and How Do We Measure It? in Taylor, R. D. & Schejter, A. M. (Eds.), Beyond Broadband: Developing Data-Based Information Policy Strategies (pp. 9-22). New York: Fordham University Press. |
| Refereed Journal Articles |
|---|
| Meese, J., Hegarty, K., Wilken, R., Yang, F., & Middleton, C. (2024). 5G and Urban Amenity: Regulatory Trends and Local Government Responses around Small Cell Deployment. Digital Policy, Regulation and Governance, 26(6), 601-616. https://doi.org/10.1108/DPRG-10-2023-0150 (external link) |
| Meese, J., Middleton, C., Yang, F., Hegarty, K., & Wilken, R. (2023). Introduction: Telecommunications Revolution? Enduring Problems and Possible Futures. Media International Australia. 190(1). pp. 3-6. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1329878X231202271 (external link) . |
| Freeman, J., Park., S. & Middleton, C. (2020). Technological literacy and interrupted internet access. Information, Communication & Society. 23(13). pp. 1947-1964. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369118X.2019.1623901 (external link) |
| Luka, M. E. & Middleton, C. (2019). The LTTV Consultations: Mapping Old and New Interests in Television Today. Canadian Journal of Communication. 44(2). pp. 3-12. doi:10.22230/cjc.2019v44n2a3117 |
| May, S. J. & Middleton, C. (2019). Jean-Pierre Blais’s Magic Items: Over-the-air Digital Television Delivery as Canadian Regulatory Revelation. Canadian Journal of Communication. 44(2). pp. 13-22. doi:10.22230/cjc.2019v44n2a3118 |
| Park, S., Freeman, J. & Middleton, C. (2019). Intersections between connectivity and digital inclusion in rural communities.Communication Research and Practice. 5(2), 139-155. doi:10.1080/22041451.2019.1601493 |
| Rajabiun, R., & Middleton, C. (2018). Strategic choice and broadband divergence in the transition to next generation networks: Evidence from Canada and the U.S. Telecommunications Policy. 42(1), pp. 37-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2017.08.001 (external link) |
| Middleton, C. (2017). Canada’s Telecommunications Policy Environment. Australian Journal of Telecommunications and the Digital Economy. 5(4), pp. 97-124. doi.org/10.18080/ajtde.v5n4.129 (external link) |
| Taylor, G., Middleton, C., & Fernando, X. (2017). A Question of Scarcity: Spectrum and Canada’s Urban Core. Journal of Information Policy. 7, pp. 120-163. https://doi.org/10.5325/jinfopoli.7.2017.0120 (external link) |
| Rajabiun, R., & Middleton, C. (2017). Regulatory Federalism and Broadband Divergence: Understanding the Implications of Invoking Europe in the Making of Canadian Telecom Policy. Intereconomics. 52(4), pp. 217-225. |
| Tucker, R., Ruffini, M., Valcarenghi, L., Campelo, D. R., Simeonidou, D., Du, L., Marinescu, M.-C., Middleton, C., Yin, S., Forde, T., Bourg, K., Dai, E., Harstead, E., Chanclou, P., Roberts, H., Jungnickel, V., Figuerola, S., Takahara, T., Yadav, R., Vetter, P., Khotimsky, D. A., & Wey, J. S. (2017). Connected OFcity: Technology Innovations for a Smart City Project. Journal of Optical Communication Networks. 9(2), pp. A245-255. 10.1364/JOCN.9.00A245 |
| Luka, M. E. & Middleton, C. (2017). Citizen Involvement during the CRTC’s Let’s Talk TV Consultation. Canadian Journal of Communication. 42(1), pp. 81-97. doi.org/10.22230/cjc.2017v42n1a3097 (external link) |
| Reports |
|---|
| Council of Canadian Academies. (2021). Waiting to Connect. The Expert Panel on High-Throughput Networks for Rural and Remote Communities in Canada, Council of Canadian Academies. (Panelists: Barnes, K., Coates, K., Halseth, G., Middleton, C., Pavlović, M., Redfern, M., Williams, D., & Yanikomeroglu, H.) https://cca-reports.ca/reports/high-throughput-networks-for-rural-and-remote-communities/ (external link) |
| Middleton, C. (2021). Digital Infrastructure for the Post-Pandemic World. Toronto: Public Policy Forum, Diversity Institute, Future Skills Centre. https://ppforum.ca/publications/digital-infrastructure-for-the-post-pandemic-world/ (external link) |
| Middleton, C., Sawchuk, K., Lafontaine, C., de Jong, S., & Henderson, J. (2019). Reply Comments. Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC-2019-57: Review of mobile wireless services. |
| Middleton, C., & Vanderbeek, E. (2019). Longitudinal Study Wave 2: Summary of results in Canada. In E. Loos, G. Nimrod, & M. Fernández-Ardèvol (Eds.), Older audiences in the digital media environment: A cross-national longitudinal study. Wave 2 Report v1.0. Montreal, Canada: ACT project. https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/986444/ (external link) |
| Middleton. C. (2019). Consumer protection measures for telecommunications and broadcasting services in foreign jurisdictions. Unpublished report for the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel. |
| Middleton. C. (2019). Institutional Frameworks for Public Interest Participation in the Telecommunications and Broadcasting Sectors. Unpublished report for the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel. |
| Sawchuk, K., Middleton, C., Lagacé, M., Lafontaine, C., Vanderbeek, E., & de Jong, S. (2019). Meeting the Needs of All Canadians: Older Adults, Affordability and Mobile, Wireless Services. Initial Comments. Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC-2019-57: Review of mobile wireless services. |
| Shepherd, T. & Middleton, C. (2017). Intervention Regarding Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2016-293: Review of the Wireless Code – Final Reply. |
| Shepherd, T. & Middleton, C. (2016). Intervention Regarding Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2016-293: Review of the Wireless Code. |
| Rajabiun, R., Ellis, D. & Middleton, C. (2016). Literature Review: Affordability of Communications Services. Report for the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission. |
| Middleton, C. (2017). Broadband Infrastructure for the Future: Connecting Rural Ontario to the Digital Economy. Rural Foresight Paper for the Rural Ontario Institute. (PDF file) Click to view here. |
Undergraduate Courses
Graduate Courses
| Course Code | Course Title |
|---|---|
| MT 8212 | Innovation & Organizational Theory |
| MT 8310 |
Special Topics in Information Systems Management |
| CC 8849 | Topics in Politics and Policy |
| CC 8987 | Selected Topics in Technology in Practice: Broadband and Mobile Communication Technologies |
| Amount | Project Title and Funding Source | Date Awarded |
|---|---|---|
$166,987 (AUD) |
5G and the Future of Public Telecommunications: Australian Research Council Discovery Grant Co-Investigator Principal Investigator: Rowan Wilken, RMIT University |
2021 |
| $2,500,000 | Co-Applicant, SSHRC Partnership Grant, Aging in Data Principal Investigator: Kim Sawchuk, Concordia University |
2021 |
| $5,000 | Principal Investigator, City of Toronto COVID-19 Recovery Research: Digital Access – Who is Underserved and Why? |
2021 |
| $210,139 | Principal Investigator, SSHRC Insight Grant, Digital Canada: Understanding Canadians' Infrastructure and Literacy Needs for Engagement in Digital Society |
2015 |
$289,715 (AUD) |
Public Wi-Fi as Urban Infrastructure - The Australian Case: Australian Research Council Discovery Grant Co-Investigator Principal Investigator: Ian McShane, RMIT University |
2015 |
| $2,993,263 | Co-Applicant, SSHRC Partnership Grant, Ageing, Communication, Technologies (ACT) – Experiencing a Digital World in Later Life Principal Investigator: Kim Sawchuk, Concordia University |
2014 |
- PhD, York University, Canada
- MMA, Bond University, Australia
- BA, Queen's University, Canada
- Named to the Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, 2014
- Canada Research Chair (renewal), 2012
- Ryerson University Faculty SRC [Research] Activity Award, 2009