Common menu bar links
Features
Broadband Canada: Connecting Rural Canadians
New in Canada's Economic Action Plan
Through Canada's Economic Action Plan, the federal government is providing $225 million over three years to Industry Canada to develop and implement a strategy for extending broadband coverage to as many unserved and underserved communities as possible beginning in 2009-2010. This proposed spending reflects the government's commitment to closing the broadband gap in Canada by encouraging the private development of rural broadband infrastructure. By far the biggest component of this strategy is the Broadband Canada: Connecting Rural Canadians program.
About the Program
The Broadband Canada program is an initiative that will provide federal funding via a contribution program to increase the availability of broadband Internet services to Canadian households within defined geographic service areas. It is estimated that 94 percent of Canadian households currently have access to a minimum of 1.5-Mbps connectivity. The remaining 6 percent are considered unserved (no access to the Internet or dial-up service only) or underserved (have broadband speeds of less than 1.5 Mbps) and live in remote and rural regions of Canada. The allocated budget will be used to connect as many of these households as possible to broadband services.
The federal government will provide up to 50 percent of project costs for organizations that apply and are selected to deploy broadband infrastructure and services within a defined geographic service area. The other 50 percent of costs, or more, will be borne by the applicants.
Closing the broadband gap in rural and remote Canada will be a sound economic investment, and will provide rural households, businesses and community institutions with Internet service levels comparable to those enjoyed by many urban counterparts. Investments in broadband infrastructure will not only enhance communities' competitiveness but will also create higher value-added jobs and make new business models possible.
How It Works
Industry Canada undertook an extensive mapping exercise in order to understand the extent to which Canadians remain unserved or underserved. Based on the mapping data, Geographic Service Areas (GSAs) were defined and a competitive call for applications was open from September 1, 2009 to October 23, 2009, to fund projects in the GSAs.
Part of the mapping exercise included the identification of areas that were to become served through existing provincial/territorial or private sector initiatives, to ensure that the federal program is complementary to existing efforts. Applications were evaluated against a number of selection criteria including cost and number of households served. Federal funding will be available from fiscal year 2009-2010 until the end of the program in 2011-2012.
Who Is Eligible
Eligible recipients are the private sector or consortiums of companies, not-for-profit organizations, and provincial/territorial entities that build and operate broadband infrastructure.
How to Find Out More
For more information, please visit the Industry Canada website.
Initiative Update
As of July 15, 77 projects to serve approximately 220 000 households, have been conditionally approved for funding under the Broadband Canada: Connecting Rural Canadians program in these regions:
Alberta -
Taber, Pincher Creek, Ranchland and Counties of Cypress, Forty Mile, Warner, Lethbridge and Cardston
Bighorn and Counties of Clearwater and Yellowhead
Counties of Red Deer, Lacombe, and Ponoka
Athabasca Region, Peace River Region
Wood Buffalo, Bonnyville and counties of Lakeland, St. Paul, and Smoky Lake
Forty Mile, Warner, Cypress, and extended regions of Willow Creek
Regions of Crowfoot, Vegreville, and Wainwright
Foothills, Rocky View, and Mountain View
Jasper, Kananakis, Bighorn and Counties of Clearwater and Yellowhead
North Central Region / Stony Plain District
Peace Region / Peace River & Grande Prairie Districts
Flagstaff County, Stettler County No. 6, Paintearth County No. 18
Clearwater County
British Columbia -
Vivian lake, Willowcale & Salmon Valley
Terrace Hazelton
Smithers Toplay
From Golden to Cranbrook
Queen Charlotte Islands
Telegraph Creek and Eddontenajon (Iskut)
Stewart, Lax Galtsap, and Kitkatla in the Skeena Region
Comox-Strathcona Regional District
Sunshine Coast & Fraser Valley & Squamish-Lillooet Regional Districts
North Okanagan & Okanagan-Similkameen Regional Districts
Thompson-Nicola Regional District
Skeena-Queen Charlotte & Kitimat-Stikine Regional Districts
Bulkley-Nechako Regional District
Peace River Regional District
Columbia-Shuswap Regional District
Comox-Strathcona Regional District and Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District
Cariboo Regional District, Fraser-Fort George Regional District excluding Vivian Lake, Willowcale & Salmon Valley
New Aiyansh, Laxgalts'ap
Goodlow, Northern Rockies, Ware, Blueberry River, Prespatou, Halfway River, Montney, Doig River
Squilax
Shirley Area
Silverton
Nursery Area
Pemberton Meadows Area
Lakeview, Arrow Creek Road Area
Beaver Point, Salt Spring Island
Gun Lake, Tyaughton Lake, Gun Creek, Gold Bridge, and Bralorne
Manitoba -
Wheatbelt Region around Brandon
Selkirk Region, Interlake Region
Swan River, Roblin and Dauphin and Surrounding Areas
Carrot Valley and Surrounding Regions
Shamattawa, Northeast Manitoba
Northern Manitoba
Newfoundland and Labrador -
Red Bay, Labrador
Northwest Territories -
Detah, Tsiigetchic, and Tulita
Tuktoyaktuk, Deline, and Wha Ti
Nunavut -
Nunavut (25 communities)
Ontario -
Whitedog
Grassy Narrows
Beaucage, Chisholm, Rutherglen, Nipissing, West Nipissing, Sundrige, Strong, Estair, Wahnapitei, Skerryvore, Shawanaga, Bell Lake, Bonfield, McDougall, McMurrich, Armour
Quebec -
Kamouraska, Rivière-du-loup, Témiscouata, Les Basques, Rimouski-Neigette, La Mitis, Matane et La Matapédia
Bellechasse, Montmagny, l'Islet, Les Etchemins, Robert-Cliché, la Nouvelle-Beauce, Lotbinière, l'Amiante et Beauce-Sartigan
Le Val-Saint-François, Memphrémagog, Le Granit et Asbestos
Nicolet-Yamaska, Drummond, Arthabaska, Bécancour et l'Érable
Matawinie, Montcalm, Joliette, L'Assomption, les Moulins, d'Autray
Kawawachikamach/Schefferville & Matimekush
Avignon, Bonaventure & Le Rocher-Percé
Natashquan, Minganie-Basse-Côte-Nord
Nation des Cris / Baie James
Bellechasse, Montmagny, l'Islet, Robert-Cliché, la Nouvelle-Beauce, l'Amiante et Beauce-Sartigan
Drummond, Arthabaska, l'Érable, Nicolet-Yamaska
Antoine-Labelle
Lac-St-Jean-Est, Fjord-du-Saguenay, Maria-Chapdelaine, Domaine-du-Roy
La Haute-Côte-Nord et Manicouagan
Whapmagoostui
Pontiac, Vallée-de-la-Gatineau
Maria-Chapdelaine, Le Domaine-du-Roy
Acton, La Vallée-du-Richelieu, Le Haut-Saint-Laurent, Les Jardins-de-Napierville, Le Haut-Richelieu
Akulivik, Aupaluk, Inukjuak, Ivujivik, Kangiqsualujjuaq, Kangiqsujuaq, Kangirsuk, Kuujjuaq, Puvirnituq, Quaqtaq, Salluit, Tasiujaq, Umiujaq
Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine
All remaining unserved households in this Geographic Service Area excluding St-Séverin, Notre-Dame-de-Montauban and Hérouxville (Lac Castor)
All remaining unserved households in this Geographic Service Area QC-2475
For more information on the Economic Action Plan initiatives, follow the links below:
