These days, it seems like everyone's on the Internet, from consumers of all ages to celebrities. This is because the Internet has grown from a smattering of Web pages to an overarching platform on which people can accomplish things like shopping, connecting with family and friends and paying bills. There isn't a lot individuals can't do as long as they're armed with a solid Internet connection.

As such, it follows that most people in Canada have access to the Internet. For the past year or so, the overall claim was that about 80 per cent of individuals in the nation go online regularly, but thanks to recently released information published by the Canadian Internet Registration, that statistic can be more accurately assessed as higher.

How many people go online?
First and foremost, it might surprise highly connected Canadians that the majority of individuals on Earth do not use the Internet with regularity. Although there are more than 7 billion people alive, only about 2.5 billion are able to go online.

As far as Canada is concerned, however, CIRA determined that 87 per cent of Canadian households are connected to the Internet, securing Canada 16th place in Internet penetration as of 2013, and second among G8 countries. Only the United Kingdom ranked higher. Canada took 20th place among all nations in terms of Internet users, with 29.7 million citizens using the Internet regularly.

Of course, use varies by province, the 2014 CIRA Factbook discovered. For instance, British Columbia and Alberta tied as the most Internet-savvy regions, boasting 86 per cent connectivity, while New Brunswick lagged behind at 77 per cent.

"We continue to find that Canadians are unique in terms of why and how we use the Internet, the values we uphold online and the pride we take in having .CA as our unique identifier," stated CIRA CEO Byron Holland.

But who wins?
At the end of the day, everyone with a good Internet connection - i.e. a way to stay connected with the outside world at all times - wins out because they have access to a vast repository of information. However, a select group of people are so tech-savvy that they get a better deal and don't have to pay an arm and a leg in order to go online.

That sector is made up of people who establish their connection through an independent Internet service provider. Sure, the major, incumbent ISPs tend to have a large following and long-standing reputation, but smaller indie companies can almost always provide a better deal and more attention to customers. The cost of Internet access is cheaper over time, and because indies often have a smaller customer base, they can take the time to help each and every one of their customers with whatever issues they're going through.

As such, with an increasing amount of people considering using the Internet, those new to the game or just branching out on their own and in need of access should always thoroughly consider using the services of an indie ISP.