Prince George city council is enthusiastically welcoming the federal announcement to expand high-speed internet to Canadians in rural and remote communities.
On Monday (Nov. 9), Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada is launching a $1.75-billion fund to expand high-speed internet to rural residents.
Trudeau says the Universal Broadband Fund will see 98 per cent of Canadians connected to high-speed internet by 2026 — crucial in an era when virtual communication is an essential part of daily life.
“It is something that we have been waiting for a very long time,” said Mayor Lyn Hall at a Prince George city council meeting this week in regards to the broadband announcement.
“I don’t think there is a municipal or regional government across the country that hasn’t been on the federal government for a number of years to start this process.”
Coun. Garth Frizzell, who is also the President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), says this has been a top priority for rural communities for quite some time.
“We have been seeking better broadband access forever and it is really been a focus all across Canada particularly through the rural forum which is a large group of municipalities all across Canada that advocate for rural issues,” said Frizzell.
“[Monday's] announcement responds to advocacy that we have been doing for a very long time and throughout the pandemic it has become even more pronounced.”
The program, announced originally in the Liberal government's 2019 budget as a $1-billion fund, includes $750 million of added cash to advance projects with partners such as the federal infrastructure financing agency.
It includes $150 million for streamlined projects, as well as a $600-million deal with Ottawa-based satellite company Telesat to link up particularly remote communities with high-speed broadband via satellite.
“We had weekly meetings at the federal government level with ministers and over the course of the months the narrative became clear that Canadians need better broadband and today they responded,” says Frizzell.
“That is a fantastic number and it is going to start with a rapid deployment as well. It is just such great news.”
- with files from The Canadian Press
