OTTAWA — The Government of Canada announced today more than $5 million in funding through its Universal Broadband Fund’s (UBF) rapid response stream for Clearwater County and service provider Switch Incorporated to bring high-speed Internet to a total of 7,339 households in rural Alberta.
Communities benefiting from the project include Nordegg in Clearwater County, Hay Lakes in Camrose County, New Sarepta in Leduc County, Cooking Lake and Collingwood Cove in Strathcona County, and Tofield in Beaver County.
Clearwater County is located in west central Alberta, while the other five communities listed in the federal government’s press release are located east and southeast of Edmonton.
“This funding provides support to Phase 6 of Clearwater County’s Core Backbone Fibre Infrastructure Project, which includes the installation of fibre from Ferrier Acres to Nordegg,” explained Daryl Lougheed, reeve of Clearwater County, in the press release.
“Delivering broadband connectivity through this phase supports Clearwater County’s strategic plan of hamlet growth and economic development,” Lougheed added.
Cam McDonald, information technology manager at Clearwater County, told Cartt.ca in a phone interview construction has begun on the project, which is expected to be finished in early fall – or earlier if possible.
“The major construction is done,” McDonald said. “We’re going to be putting out a request for proposals for a network operator.”
Other carriers will be able to provide service on Clearwater County’s broadband network because it is an open access network, McDonald explained, adding this will help to provide competition in the area.
For the other part of the federal government’s announcement, Edmonton-based Switch Incorporated is undertaking the work for the communities of Hay Lakes, New Sarepta, Cooking Lake, Collingwood Cove and Tofield.
When contacted by Cartt.ca via email, a Switch spokesperson responded to say the company’s work on its broadband project is already underway and service is expected to be live by the end of November 2022.
Switch will be delivering up to 10 Gbps service to the rural Alberta towns covered by its portion of the UBF-funded project as well as several other communities, according to Switch’s spokesperson.
“Our unique approach to solving rural connectivity challenges brings the service closer to the edge,” said Darren Hokanson, CEO of Switch Incorporated, in the federal government’s press release. “Through our partnership with the government, we will bring the fastest fixed wireless access in the country to rural residences in underserved Alberta communities.”
In March, the governments of Canada and Alberta announced they were expanding their broadband partnership with an increase in funding coming equally from the UBF and the province.
The funding announced today, however, is coming entirely from the UBF rapid response stream, according to the press release.
Update (April 27): Information posted today to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s Universal Broadband Fund website shows Clearwater County is receiving almost $3.8 million in UBF funding to bring high-speed Internet access to 242 households in Nordegg. Switch Incorporated is receiving almost $1.3 million in funding to provide high-speed Internet access to 7,097 homes in Cooking Lake, Collingwood Cove, Hay Lakes, New Sarepta and Tofield, according to the UBF website.
