OTTAWA and GATINEAU – The CRTC announced yesterday four projects in Alberta and Nova Scotia will receive up to $8.8 million in funding from its Broadband Fund.
“The projects will target approximately 680 households in five communities, including four Indigenous communities,” a CRTC press release says.
ATG Arrow Technology Group Limited Partnership was allocated up to $7.9 million to build or upgrade local fixed access infrastructure in three Indigenous communities in Alberta, according to the CRTC’s decision on the matter.
Of that funding, the Commission approved up to $3.8 million for the community of Louis Bull 138B (approximately 165 households), up to $2.5 million for the community of Child Lake 164A (approximately 55 households) and up to $1.5 million for the community of Boyer 164 (approximately 65 households).
Arrow submitted applications for these projects as part of the CRTC’s second call for applications for funding from its Broadband Fund. In its application, “Arrow proposed to use fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) technology to offer services with unlimited data, with speeds ranging from 50/10 Mbps to 100/50 Mbps, in those communities,” the decision reads.
The CRTC also approved up to $915,165 for We’koqma’q First Nation and Seaside Communications Inc. (which is owned by Rogers), to build or upgrade local fixed access infrastructure in two communities Nova Scotia.
The companies, in an application filed in response to the second call for applications for the Broadband Fund, indicated they “will use fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) technology to offer services with unlimited data, with speeds ranging from 25/5 Mbps to 1,000/50 Mbps, in the We’koqma’q First Nation and the community of Whycocomagh,” says the CRTC’s decision on the matter.
The communities included in this project have approximately 395 households.
The funding recipients must submit a statement of work for approval for the projects within 120 days of the decisions.
The CRTC anticipates construction for most of the projects announced will, at the earliest, begin in the second half of 2022, according to the Commission’s press release.
The Broadband Fund has committed up to $186.5 million to date “to improve broadband services for 160 communities, representing approximately 29,050 households,” the press release says.
“Among the projects previously approved, regional governments and smaller companies will receive up to $82.75 million in funding to close the digital divide in the most isolated communities of Canada. This includes funding for a satellite project in northern Manitoba and for two transport projects in Nunavik.”
The CRTC will continue to evaluate applications submitted in response to its second call for the Broadband Fund. “Further funding announcements will be made as additional projects are approved,” the release says.
