Tag: high-speed internet access

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More than 90 percent of homes now have high-speed internet access: Minister Hutchings

Aerial view of mobile phone cell tower to illustrate lack of broadband internet service in rural areas and need for investment

The Government of Canada says its well on its way to bringing high-speed internet access to all Canadians.

The federal government has a goal to provide access to 98 percent of households by 2026 and 100 percent by 2030.

Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development, said 93.5 percent of homes have access, showing “Canada is on track to exceed its goal.”

In 2014, only 79 percent of households had access to high-speed internet. The figure jumped to 90 percent in 2021. Canadians can check connectivity progress using the government’s online dashboard.

Several factors played a role, Hutchings acknowledged, including funding from provinces and territories, Indigenous communities, and service providers.

Several projects have also received funding from the Universal Broadband Fund (UBF). Launched in November 2020, the fund has covered 60 projects and six funding agreements between federal and provincial governments, including Alberta and Ontario.

“As Minister, I will continue to make sure that rural Canadians have the access they need to affordable high-speed Internet and mobile connectivity,” Hutchings said in a press release.

Source: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

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Mobile Syrup

Xplore, Bell, expand network in Newfoundland and Labrador through provincial, federal funding

Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfundland, St. Anthony. Local flags.

The federal government and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador have partnered to provide the province with $94 million for high-speed internet projects.

The government bodies have allocated the funds to Bell and Xplore, who will collectively bring high-speed internet access to 36,000 homes and over 350 rural, remote, and Indigenous communities.

Xplore is doing so by deploying fibre-to-the-home and 5G fixed wireless technologies to residents and businesses. The move will provide speeds up to 40 times faster than what rural communities currently have access to, the company said in a press release.

“Xplore’s goal is to deliver a true broadband experience that will enable Newfoundland residents to more fully enjoy rural living,” Cathy MacDonald, Xplore’s COO, said.

Xplore’s expansion will connect  270 rural communities to fibre-to-the-premise internet, and upwards of 100,000 homes and businesses will be able to access gigabit speeds.

Bell’s project will also benefit dozens of communities.

“Reliable high-speed internet access is a key contributor to the development of communities both large and small, and we’re proud to partner with the Government of Canada and the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador to expand our all-fibre broadband network to even more communities,”  Glen LeBlanc, Bell’s CFO, said.

Funding from the two government bodies comes from a February 2022 announcement that saw the governments commit $136 million to connect residents with high-speed internet.

Source: ISED, Xplore

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Mobile Syrup

Prime Minister adds $475 million to the Universal Broadband Fund

Canadian flag waving with Parliament Buildings hill in the background Ottawa,Ontario, Canada

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has added $475 million to the Universal Broadband Fund (UBF).

The fund pays for high-speed internet projects in Canada and has paid to connect 900,000 homes so far. The top-up will connect a further 60,000 rural homes under the federal government’s plan to connect 98 percent of Canadians with high-speed internet by 2026.

The government’s current focus is on New Brunswick through a new $17.6 million investment benefiting 27,000 homes. The government also allocated $55 million in federal funding for high-speed internet access to the province earlier this year.

“Every Canadian, wherever they are in the country, deserves good, reliable high-speed internet,” Trudeau said. “We will continue to improve and expand high-speed internet access in every community across the country.”

At this time, 93.5 percent of homes have access to high-speed internet, compared to 79 percent in 2014. The UBF has invested $3.2 billion so far.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Prime Minister’s Office 

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Mobile Syrup

New pilot project to connect Manto Sipi Cree Nation with high-speed internet

Aerial view of mobile phone cell tower to illustrate lack of broadband internet service in rural areas and need for investment

Broadband Communications North’s (BCN) new pilot project will bring high-speed internet access to Manto Sipi Cree Nation.

BCN, an Indigenous network, will launch the project in partnership with ROCK Networks and OneWeb. The project will connect 24 First Nations communities in Northern Manitoba over the next five years.

“The project will have a monumental impact on the community. Residents will be able to access telemedicine, distance learning, and remote work,”  Jason Neepin, BCN’s executive director, said. “Internet access can also improve justice, governance, and economic outcomes in the areas we serve.”

OneWeb’s constellation of low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellites will power the project. ROCK Networks will incorporate the system into BCN’s network while monitoring the connection and providing BCN with ongoing support.

Manto Sipi Cree Nation has no access road, and equipment must be transported between January and February, during the ice road season. If transportation is completed as scheduled, the service will be available this spring.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: ROCK Networks 

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Mobile Syrup

Canada and Quebec invest millions to bring high-speed internet to 25 rural communities

The federal government and the Province of Quebec have committed to bringing high-speed internet to 25 rural communities in the province.

The $8.2 million in combined funding will go towards contracts for four different service providers.

Bell will receive a contract worth $1.2 million to bring access to the communities of Fatima, Innue Essipit, Lac-Légaré, Les Escoumins, Pointe-à-Boisvert, Rivière-Sainte-Marguerite and Sacré-Cœur.

Coopérative de câblodistribution de l’arrière-pays (CCAP) received a contract worth $181,000 to bring high-speed internet to the community of Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury.

The governments awarded Coopérative de télécommunication SJM with a $98,000 contract to benefit the the community of Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur-de-Wolfestown.

Sogetel received the largest contract, worth $6.7 million, to bring high-speed internet to more than a dozen communities, including Breault and Nicolet.

The two governments have previously announced similar investments — in May, they each contributed nearly $200,000 to bring high-speed internet services to 55 rural households in Quebec.  

“Since 2015, the Government of Canada has committed $7.2 billion to connect rural Canadians, including many in Indigenous communities, to better, faster internet,” Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development, said.

“We will continue making investments like these in rural and remote communities to help connect every single Canadian to high-speed internet.”

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

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Joint funding from governments of Canada and B.C. to bring high-speed internet to thousands

The Governments of Canada and British Columbia have announced millions in funding to improve internet and mobile connectivity for residents in the province.

The $108 million in combined funding will bring high-speed internet access to 14,000 households and mobile connectivity to seven rural communities.

“We need to close the connectivity gap and ensure that every nook and cranny of British Colombia has access to reliable high-speed internet,” Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development, said. “Investments like these help create jobs, improve access to health care and online learning services, enhance safety and keep us connected to our loved ones.”

The funding is part of a partnership the two governments announced in March to invest $830 million for high-speed internet projects in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities across the province.

The federal government is in a similar partnership with the Province of Ontario. The two governments announced $1.2 billion in funding for high-speed internet projects in July 2021.

More details on communities that will benefit from the partnership in B.C. are on the government’s website.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada