CRTC Broadband Fund to allocate $20.5mn for mobile wireless and Internet access services in Manitoba, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador
August 4, 2022 – Ottawa-Gatineau – Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced that ten projects will receive up to [$20.5 million (€20.08 million)] in funding from the Broadband Fund.
The projects will support the rollout of fourth-generation (also known as LTE or LTE-A) mobile wireless access along 425 kilometres of roads and highways in Manitoba, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador. They will also support improved Internet and mobile wireless access that will benefit 2,250 households in 35 communities, including five Indigenous communities and one official language minority community, in the three provinces.
The Broadband Fund will allocate funds to the following service providers:
- Bell Canada (Manitoba)
- Bell Mobility Inc. (Manitoba and Quebec)
- Sichuun Inc., with Naskapi Imuun Inc. and Redline Communications Inc. (Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador)
- Sogetel Mobilité Inc. (Quebec)
- TELUS Communications Inc. (Quebec)
With announcement, the Broadband Fund has committed up to [$226.5 million (€221.82 million)] to improve broadband services for 205 communities, representing approximately 32,655 households.
The funding recipients will provide mobile wireless services or fixed broadband Internet access services that either meet the universal service objective or move communities closer to attaining it.
Prior to receiving funding, recipients must complete a statement of work setting out the details of each project, including schedules and costs, which must be approved by the CRTC. Construction for most projects announced today will start in late 2022 to early 2023.
Ian Scott, Chairperson and CEO, CRTC, says “Since the first funding announcement from the Broadband Fund in 2020, more communities, households, and roads have access to better and faster Internet and voice services. These services are an important part of Canada’s public safety infrastructure. We are proud that our Broadband Fund is assisting in connecting more people and making them feel safer on the road. The new projects announced today will benefit communities and areas where there is a great need for mobile wireless and broadband Internet access services.”
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