The CRTC plans to conduct the next steps in its Broadband Fund policy review in two phases, the commission told respondents to its March 2023 notice of consultation in a letter published Monday on its website.
“The Policy Review aims to make the application process faster and easier, broaden the type of funding available, and advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples through changes that support Indigenous applicants and Indigenous communities,” the letter reads.
The first phase will address issues relating to the existing Broadband Fund framework for capital projects that build or upgrade broadband and mobile wireless infrastructure in underserved areas and will provide the foundation for a fourth call for applications, while the second phase will consider expanding the scope of the Broadband Fund beyond the current capital funding program, the letter explains. A policy decision will be issued at the end of each phase, the CRTC said.
In addition, the commission said it will initiate a separate co-development process to create an Indigenous Stream in response to suggestions from many parties to the proceeding, and it will provide more details on this new process in an upcoming information bulletin.
The first phase of the policy review, which will be an expedited process, will consider all aspects of the application, evaluation and funding processes for capital projects, with an aim to make the application process faster and easier for applicants. Other aspects to be considered in phase one include how to improve engagement with Indigenous Peoples and affected communities, whether resiliency projects should be made an eligible project type and the criteria that would be used to evaluate and select such projects, and whether to provide operational funding for mobile wireless projects along roads.
“Through the Phase 1 policy decision, the Commission also intends to provide a short-term forecast of contribution levels to be collected,” the CRTC’s letter says.
Starting Feb. 23, CRTC staff will issue requests for information (RFIs) to parties to the proceeding to develop the record on issues considered in phase one. Parties will have until March 22 to respond to the RFIs. The deadline for parties’ comments on RFI responses is April 9.
The second phase of the policy review will address all remaining issues not fully addressed in the phase one process, including the provision of additional operational funding under the Broadband Fund, additional funding gaps that can be addressed through the fund, and a long-term forecast of contribution levels that will be collected.
Phase two of the process will begin with RFIs after the policy decision for phase one has been issued, the CRTC says.
