The Financial Post reports in its Wednesday edition the federal government on Tuesday invited remote communities across the country that lack high-speed Internet access to make a claim on some of the $305-million it plans to spend over the next three years to upgrade access. A Reuters dispatch to the Post says consumer group OpenMedia.ca is skeptical of the move, skewering both the Conservative government and Canada's telcos for failing to finish earlier projects on time or to the scale required. The government's Connecting Canadians plan aims to deliver high-speed Internet -- defined as speeds faster than five megabits per second (Mbps) -- to 280,000 households. Critics say, however, the minimum "high-speeds" are not fast enough for users to participate in a number of data-intensive activities, including video conference calls. The federal regulator wrote to BCE, Telus and Manitoba Telecom Services last month, concerned they would miss an end-August deadline to complete remote access projects already underway. The CRTC said it is considering what penalties to impose if the deadline is missed. Telus said in fewer than 30 of the 159 communities it needs more time to implement complex transmission assets.