OTTAWA – Telus has been awarded Friday more funding on top of the $12 million it was allocated for four projects backed by the commission’s Broadband Fund.
The CRTC has approved the Vancouver-based telecom’s request for an additional $4.5 million – a nearly 40 per cent increase – on the basis of unanticipated increases in costs including labour since the pandemic and changes in equipment that would “improve the sustainability, resiliency, and cybersecurity of the project.
The projects will build and/or upgrade mobile wireless, local fixed access, and transport infrastructure in a total of 26 communities and along roughly 305 kilometres of major transport roads in Quebec.
The CRTC has been approving extra funding from the $750-million Broadband Fund for other project proponents that have similarly requested more dollars for unanticipated price increases and better equipment for robust sustainability, resiliency and cybersecurity.
The CRTC is currently considering broadening the Broadband Fund to include funding for maintaining and creating redundant networks.
