GATINEAU – The CRTC announced this afternoon over 10,100 households in rural Manitoba, the Yukon and Northwest Territories will soon get access to improved broadband.
The Commission’s Broadband Fund will contribute $72 million to the selected five projects which will cover 51 communities, the majority of which are Indigenous. The total size of the fund is $750 million, to be distributed over five years, and the Regulator is currently considering applications made to its second round of funding.
The money from this first round will go to Broadband Communications North for a satellite project in northern Manitoba, and to Bell Canada division Northwestel for four projects: Two in the Yukon (one satellite and one fibre) and two in the Northwest Territories (one satellite and one fibre).
“The selected projects all serve communities with broadband Internet access services that do not currently meet the universal service objective. The projects in Yukon and the Northwest Territories will provide speeds of 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload with unlimited data to close to 26% of the households in those two territories. There will be a total of 316 km of new fibre installed to connect many communities in Yukon and the Northwest Territories,” reads the press release.
“In five satellite-dependent communities in northern Manitoba, residents will have access to speeds of 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload with unlimited data, which is a significant improvement over the service that is currently available (which maxes out at up to 3 Mbps). In addition, the CRTC expects that this project is an interim step, as Broadband Communications North has plans to offer improved services in the future.”
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.
It is anticipated construction for most projects will start in the spring of 2021.
The Manitoba communities to be connected by Broadband Communications North are: Tadoule Lake, Barren Lands, Lac Brochet, Pukatawagan, Shamattawa (all remote fly-in communities whose total population is 899 households). BCN is a not-for-profit company whose board is comprised of representatives from tribal councils, territorial political organizations, and independent First Nation communities, says its website.
The communities, or parts of communities, to be upgraded in the Territories by Northwestel are: Paulatuk, Ulukhaktok, Sachs Harbour, Łutselk’e, Sambaa K’e, Colville Lake, Gamètì, Wekweètì, Aklavik, Behchokǫ̀, Délįnę, Dettah, Enterprise, Fort Good Hope, Fort Liard, Fort McPherson, Fort Providence, Fort Resolution, Fort Simpson, Jean Marie River, Kakisa, Nahanni Butte, Tsiigehtchic, Tuktoyaktuk, Tulita, Wrigley, NWT; and Old Crow, Beaver Creek, Burwash Landing, Carcross, Carmacks, Champagne, Dawson City, Destruction Bay, Faro, Haines Junction, Judas Creek / Marsh Lake, Mayo, Pelly Crossing, Ross River, Stewart Crossing, Tagish, Teslin, Upper Liard, Watson Lake, and Whitehorse, Yukon. Please click here for more details on the projects.
“Today’s CRTC Broadband Fund announcement is great news for Northern Canadians. The CRTC’s $62.46 million in funding along with Northwestel’s continued significant investments will increase Internet speeds for over 10,000 households in Yukon and NWT with DSL and satellite service and provide an option for unlimited service,” said Northwestel CEO Curtis Shaw in a company press release. “We thank the CRTC for this important contribution and for entrusting Northwestel to deliver on this mandate. We also want to recognize and thank the Yukon Government, the Government of NWT, the Indigenous governments and community partners who supported these applications.”
“Today’s announcement marks a key milestone toward closing the digital divide,” said CRTC chair Ian Scott in the release. “This initial funding from the CRTC Broadband Fund will improve access in the North and have a positive impact on many communities. We recognize, however, that too many regions across the country are still underserved. The assessment of the applications we received following our second call for applications is a high priority.”
While some projects submitted during the first call of applications, including those for Nunavut, have been deferred to the second call for applications, any others from the first call are no longer being considered.
The second call for applications in November 2019 saw the CRTC receive 593 applications requesting more than $1.5 billion in total funding.
While these projects will see more fibre installed, the CRTC expects fixed broadband Internet access service (this includes fixed wireless and satellite) to be available in 90% of Canadian homes and businesses by the end of 2021 and 100% as soon as possible.
