COATICOOK, QC – All 12 municipalities in Quebec’s Coaticook Regional County Municipality in southeastern Quebec will soon have additional access to high-speed Internet through a $3.4 million investment from Federal Government’s rural broadband program Connect to Innovate.
The Government of Quebec is investing an additional $5.6 million under the Québec branché program, while TACTIC, the project's proponent, is contributing $5.1 million, bringing the total investment to more than $14 million. A new company has been created by the municipality to handle the construction and installs.
In addition to providing high-speed Internet services, the new company, Fibrile Telecom, "will offer phone and TV packages thanks to its new network and equipment”, said Réjean Masson, president of Table d'action en communication et en technologie de l'information de la MRC de Coaticook Limitée (TACTIC), in the announcement. “The project will involve building a nearly 1,000 km long network and acquiring all the equipment needed to operate it."
The network will enable residents of Quebec's Estrie region to better connect with family and friends, do business online, participate in distance education and take advantage of the opportunities afforded by the digital age, continues the announcement.
"High-speed Internet access is critical in the digital age and will contribute in a tangible way to the economic development of Coaticook Regional County Municipality's 12 municipalities. I am proud to take part in this announcement of work starting on a much-anticipated project in our region," added Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, on behalf of the Minister of Rural Economic Development Bernadette Jordan.
Photo from Friday’s announcement via Minister Bibeau's Twitter account
