As the national and international voice representing over 150 publicly-funded colleges, institutes, polytechnics, cegeps, university colleges and universities with a college mandate, the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) welcomes the opportunity to provide input to Industry Canada's consultation on a Digital Economy Strategy for Canada. Colleges ensure that Canadians have the advanced skills to remain productive, deliver industry and community-based services and foster applied research and innovation. Digital technology plays a critical role in the provision of learning opportunities. With campuses in more than 1,000 rural and urban communities across Canada, colleges are uniquely positioned to respond to the government's goal of improving Canada's position in the digital economy. The Association's submission to the consultation process provides a series of recommendations under three key themes: the capacity to innovate using digital technologies; building a world-class digital infrastructure; and, building digital skills for tomorrow. ACCC recommends that federal research and development funding be increased by five percent, with the additional amount dedicated to innovation, applied research, product development, technology transfer, and commercialization projects of colleges with their private sector partners. ACCC recommends that the government enhance Copyright Legislation to facilitate the reproduction of digital materials for colleges and designate proprietary frequencies for educational purposes. The government should also establish a college infrastructure and equipment fund adequate to secure the supply of advanced skills required to support a digital economy, and allocate more resources to ensure that digital learning is accessible to disadvantaged groups. (Contains 1 footnote.)