Government Funding For Internet High Speed

Broadband For Rural Communities

Rural premises may be eligible for additional funding through the Governments Rural Gigabit Connectivity programme.

Business and residents in some of the hardest-to-reach places in the UK are eligible for additional funding towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband to their premises when part of a group project.

These vouchers can be put toward your part of the costs of your Community Fibre Partnership. So if you have a few property owners who are interested, they could all apply for vouchers to put towards the cost.

Rural premises with broadband speeds of less than 30Mbps can use vouchers worth up to £3,500 for each small and medium-sized businesses , and up to £1,500 per residential premise to support the cost of installing new gigabit-capable connections.

Further Support For Municipal Transit Systems

Reliable transit service is part of a strong foundation for future growth. The Province played a lead role in the negotiations with the federal government on the Safe Restart Agreement, which provided over $7 billion in funding and in-kind supports. To date, the Province, in partnership with the federal government, has made more than $2 billion available to support municipal transit systems as they recover from the COVID19 pandemic. Ontario provided an additional $150 million to address further COVID19 pressures identified by municipalities. Ontario continues to support municipal public transit systems across the province with an additional investment of $345 million in 2021â22, to help municipalities through this challenging period resulting from lower ridership and year-over-year declines in Gas Tax revenue. The Province will continue its leadership in working with municipal partners and calling on the federal government to help address acute operating pressures.

Broadband Fundclosing The Digital Divide In Canada

Whether youâre at home, at work, or on the road, your phone should be able to connect using LTE, you should have an Internet connection with access to broadband speeds of at least 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload and access to unlimited data.

Broadband at 50/10 Mbps, unlimited

Mobile LTE

• 50/10 â unlimited coverage
• Canada: 87.4%

But many Canadians, particularly those in rural and remote areas, do not have adequate access to these services.

Its time to close the digital divide.

Refer to ISEDs National Broadband Internet Service Availability Map for the latest broadband data. Broadband coverage information is collected by ISED through ongoing consultation with ISPs, the CRTC, industry associations, provinces and territories, and other partners and stakeholders.

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Fcc And Usda Working Together For Precision Agriculture

In June 2019, the Federal Communications Commission announced the formation of a new task force dedicated to advising the Commission on policies aimed at delivering connectivity so that American agriculture producers can use and benefit from precision agriculture. The new federal advisory committee, formally called the Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States, works with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide the FCC with outside, expert advice on the needs and impact of telecommunications policy on the deployment of agricultural technology. The USDA serves as an ex officio non-voting member and acts as a consultant and resource to the FCC as they manage this important mission for rural America.

This Alaskan Town Is Finally Getting High

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Technicians and engineers install antennae receivers on Lena Foss’ home in Akiak, Alaska. Internet speeds will double in the town later this month, when it gains access to broadband internet. Katie Basile/KYUKhide caption

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Technicians and engineers install antennae receivers on Lena Foss’ home in Akiak, Alaska. Internet speeds will double in the town later this month, when it gains access to broadband internet.

Lena Foss thought she got lucky when she salvaged a dryer from the dump in Akiak, a Yup’ik village in Western Alaska.

She knew it was broken, but figured she could fix it by looking at tutorials online.

“First thing I did was YouTube how to replace a belt,” Foss said. “But the internet was so slow and I thought it was wasting gigabytes so I turned that off before I completely finished how to fix the dryer.”

Akiak sits along the Kuskokwim River, which transforms into a frozen highway in the winter. The only other way to get there is on a four-seater plane.

The village’s remote location has made high-speed internet, which is typically delivered through cables, a fantasy for its 460-some residents. Now, it’s about to become a reality in Akiak and rural communities around the nation, thanks in part to the pandemic.

“The internet is so unreliable, and it’s usually too slow, especially in the evenings when I get off of work, to load even a PowerPoint,” Williams said.

“Internet will open my eyes,” Foss said. “I know it will.”

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Reduced Administrative Burden And Improved Data Sharing

The Government of Canada sees opportunity for improvement in making it easier to apply and in harmonizing applications, so that those developing connectivity infrastructure can focus on implementation. When designing new programs, partners will strive to reduce the administrative burden by coordinating application requirements, and then continuing conversations afterwards.

Of particular interest will be continuing our efforts to reflect what we have heard about the unique circumstances and connectivity needs of Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities in the future broadband program design and implementation. Access to reliable and affordable connectivity services can enable the revival of Indigenous languages. It can allow for distance education, help unlock the talents of Indigenous youth and provide for new business opportunities. By continuing to engage with First Nation, Inuit and Métis communities in the implementation of this Strategy, these possibilities can become a reality.

ISED’s Connect to Innovate program and the Province of Quebec’s connectivity program Québec branché used a common application form for applicants that wished to apply to either of the programs. The intake periods for both programs also aligned, further reducing the administrative burden for applicants.

Next Generation Precision Ag & Broadband Report

USDA embarked on a groundbreaking analysis about the potential benefits of rural broadband infrastructure and emerging on-farm technology for modernizing the United States agriculture industry and all who depend on its success.

We found that enhancing digital agriculture technologies already in use today – and increasing producers usage to full-scale – could create at least $47 billion each year in additional gross benefit for the U.S. economy. Rural broadband e-connectivity is the driver of more than one-third of that potential value, equal to $18 billion of annual economic improvements for our nation.

Read the report released in April 2019 that describes how Next Generation Precision Agriculture technologies can be deployed together with high-capacity, reliable Internet services to Americas farms and ranches, including:

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Expanding Go Train Service To London

Ontario is expanding GO train service to Southwestern Ontario with weekday trips between London and Toronto. Extending GO train service to London is part of the Provinces transportation plan for Southwestern Ontario.

In October 2021, Metrolinx launched a pilot project that will provide weekday GO train trips between London and Union Station in Toronto. The new service will extend beyond GO Transits Kitchener Line and will include stops in St. Marys and Stratford. The Province is working closely with VIA Rail and CN to extend service and explore ways to improve the speed and frequency of passenger rail service.

Federal Government Announces Additional Funding In An Effort To Connect Canadians To High

Minister of northern affairs says that pandemic has highlighted the importance of being connected, staying informed

The minister of northern affairs along with the prime ministers special representative for the prairies announced additional funding to the Universal Broadband Fund on Tuesday.

UBF was launched during the 2019 budget as a $1 billion program and is intended to improve high-speed internet access for Canadians, according to a press release. Its included in the Canadian Connectivity Strategy, a series of federal investments that the government expects will connect approximately 400,000 additional households by the end of 2023.

The federal governments long term goal is to connect all Canadians to high-speed internet by 2030.

The government will be adding an additional $750 million to UBF to advance large, high-impact projects. Which will leverage partnerships including with the Canadian Infrastructure Bank broadband initiative.

Included in the program is a Rapid Response Stream, that will have an accelerated application process according to the press release. Through this program, $150 million is available for projects that will be completed and have services available to Canadians by Nov. 15, 2021 according to the government.

$50 million of the UBF budget will also be allocated for mobile Internet projects that primarily benefit Indigenous peoples.

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Meeting The Needs Of Anchor Institutions

Government investment will give special consideration to the needs of anchor institutions, such as libraries, schools, hospitals and local government buildings. Connect to Innovate is connecting more than 1,100 anchor institutions because of their key placement as hubs in communities.

Anchor institutions generally require much higher network speeds than homes. This is because there are more people using the connection at once, or because they are using more sophisticated applications. Connecting anchor institutions to high-speed broadband networks strengthens the capacities of local health and education systems, improves access to government services, and enhances the social and economic opportunities of rural and remote residents. It also improves the business case for extending broadband to households and businesses in the surrounding areas.

Speeds of 1 Gbps are often necessary to maintain reliable service quality. For example, in hospitals, clinics and nursing stations, connectivity requirements are constantly increasing as new technologies emerge and the available networks in rural and remote communities are not meeting their growing needs.

National Broadband Internet Service Availability Map

Our National Broadband Internet Service Availability Map provides comprehensive and precise mapping data detailing retail broadband Internet services and wholesale backbone infrastructure in Canada. You can use it to find what projects are happening in your area, what speeds are available and which Internet service providers are in your area.

Our map also includes new, more granular mapping data so that you can find Internet coverage at the level of 250m road segments. Zoom in close to your area and click the Rural Roads coverage on the Layer Selector bar on the left to see this detailed coverage in your area.

It is also the basis of our new Eligibility Mapping Tool, which helped applicants design their projects using the most accurate coverage information available.

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Trudeau Says He Wants All Canadians To Have High

For the second week in a row, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared a stage with Premier Francois Legault Monday as they made a joint funding announcement aimed at improving access to high-speed internet in Quebec.

Before last week, Trudeau told reporters, it had been nearly a year since the two leaders met in person. Recently, Legault has been at the forefront of a call by provincial and territorial premiers for more health care funding, which he said must come without conditions.

But as they announced $826.3 million in funding to bring high-speed internet to nearly 150,000 Quebec households by September 2022, Trudeau hailed Quebec’s leadership and Legault praised Ottawa’s “flexibility.”

Asked if the friendly words were a sign of improved relations between the two, Legault responded: “I hope so.”

Trudeau said that despite “long traditions in various parts of the country around standing up for your region by picking a fight with Ottawa,” there is also plenty of common ground. “One of the things we’ve seen through this pandemic is citizens want their various orders of government to work together,” he added.

Nunavik Gets Final Funding For High

Work on a fiber-optic cable connection began in James Bay in August.

The Kativik Regional Government says it has secured the remaining money needed for its work to bring high-speed internet to the region.

In addition to funding from the federal and provincial governments, the KRG said in an Oct. 7 news release that it is receiving a total of $53.4 million from a federal fund administered by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

This past August, work began on laying an underwater fiber optic cable which will run from Chisasibi, on the coast of James Bay, north to Puvirnituq, with connections to Kuujjuaraapik, Whapmagoostui, Umiujaq and Inukjuak.

All the cable and electronics have been laid for this portion as of Oct. 1, according to Dan Pellerin, a telecommunications adviser with the KRG who helped get the projects up and running.

We are now working on testing, commissioning, inspections and training, Pellerin said, adding the hope is for the fiber network to be in use by January at the latest.

Next year the plan is to continue laying fiber up the coast to the Hudson Strait, to connect Akulivik, Ivujivik, Salluit and Kangiqsujuaq. Kuujjuaq would be connected to another fiber optic line running to Kawawachikamach, roughly 400 kilometers south, while the rest of the regions communities will get increased satellite capacity.

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Matawa First Nations Lands Nearly $70 Million For High

Close to $70 million in government funding will be used to install fibre-to-the-home, high-speed broadband internet in five fly-in/remote Indigenous communities.

The Matawa First Nations to benefit from the Oct. 6 announcement include Nibinamik, Neskantaga, Webequie, Eabametoong and Marten Falls.

The funding breaks down as follows:

• $37.1 from the federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
• $30 million from the Government of Ontario and
• $2.14 million from Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada to conduct an archeological investigation in support of the project.

The funding will be allocated to Rapid Lynx, a regional telecommunications company established by the Matawa First Nations in January 2017 to build and administer an 881-kilometre fibre-optic cable network connecting the five remote communities together and to existing carrier locations near Wunnummin Lake and Aroland First Nations.

David Paul Achneepineskum, CEO of Matawa First Nations Management, said Matawa was thrilled with the funding announcement, which addresses some long-standing community concerns.

Our First Nation community members will benefit in so many ways. Connectivity is crucial to their well-being. Better services through broadband fibre-optic construction will eliminate the digital divide between our First Nations and the rest of the world, Achneepineskum said in a release.

Feds Add $750m In Funding To Broaden Access To High

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that his government is launching a $1.75-billion fund to expand high-speed internet to Canadians in rural and remote communities.

The Universal Broadband Fund that was part of the Liberal budget announcement in early 2019, months before last years federal election, has taken longer than expected to be officially launched.

Read more: $1B plan to expand rural internet will be accelerated, feds say

But the PM and several of his ministers said they used the time to make the funding process less cumbersome and more relevant to communities, recognizing that the COVID crisis has made good internet an even higher priority than before the pandemic.

The program we are launching today reflects the advice and recommendations on how best to solve the most important infrastructure challenge of our time, how to strengthen our connections, said Maryam Monsef, minister for rural economic development.

We were ready to go, in March, with the new Universal Broadband Fund. And then the pandemic hit.

In response, the government consulted with members of Parliament from rural areas and officials with local governments that were overloaded by the demands of the COVID crisis.

We heard that the processes have to be streamlined and more easily accessible, Monsef said. We also heard that communities are, rightfully so, impatient to see progress.

With files from David Paddon in Toronto and Christopher Reynolds in Ottawa

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Promoting Prosperity In The Far North Of Ontario

The Far North is a vast region in Ontario that has a population of approximately 24,000 people, of which 90 per cent identify as First Nations, living mainly in remote, fly-in communities. It is also a region of staggering beauty and significant economic potential for its communities and its people.

The Far North Act, 2010 provides community-based land-use planning in the Far North through a joint planning process between First Nations and the Province. The Ontario government has heard the concerns of both First Nations and Northern communities about the Far North Act, 2010, and is proposing amendments that will respect Aboriginal and Treaty rights and create the certainty needed to unlock the economic potential of the region in a way that is environmentally sustainable and protects the Norths rich natural beauty and heritage.

Meeting The Needs Of Households And Businesses

Speeds of 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload reflect what is needed for Canadians to be fully engaged online, and align with the CRTC’s universal service objective.Footnote 2

While most urban regions of the country already have access to broadband that meets this target, it will take time and substantial investments for all rural households and businesses to have access to the 50/10 Mbps target. The Government of Canada’s investments will aim for 90% of Canadians to have access to this target by the end of 2021, for 95% to have access by 2026, and for the remaining 5%, in the hardest-to-reach areas, to have access by 2030.

There is potential to support economic growth by meeting these connectivity needs. Almost all industries now rely on connectivity to improve their productivity and work more efficiently. One of the major challenges to business development in rural and remote communities is the lack of infrastructure, particularly telecommunications infrastructure.

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