By Adam Ophus

Broadband Fund

Hope for rural residents to get better broadband access

Nov 22, 2019 | 2:30 PM

Rural Canadians, including those in Clearwater County have struggled for years with minimal access to cellphone service and high speed internet.

Newly-elected Yellowhead MLA Gerald Soroka recently released a statement about the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) second call for their Broadband Fund.

The intent of the Broadband Fund is to provide high speed internet and cell service to the large areas in rural Canada that cannot afford it.

The program intends to provide up to $750 million over five years and the CRTC states that the funding does not come from tax revenues. Instead, it comes from contributions made by larger Canadian telecommunication service providers.

The first call for applications were limited to the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and all satellite-dependent communities in Canada. The latest will allow for applications from across the country.

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The funding will be awarded to those deemed to benefit most.

Areas in green are those deemed inhabited and without fixed broadband access (50/10 Mbps). (crtc.gc.ca)

In 2017, Clearwater County did a Broadband Demand Study in an attempt to quantify the need for increased services. It found the average cost for residents was $76.75/month and that some residents required additional infrastructure to be able to obtain access of any kind.

“Respondents who have invested in additional infrastructure for their internet service were then asked how much they have invested for their internet service,” the study concludes. “Respondents most commonly spent $200 to $299 in additional infrastructure for their internet service. It is important to note that 26 per cent of respondents did not know or were unable to state how much they have spent on additional infrastructure.”

In February, County council adopted a Municipal Broadband Policy with the principles of developing an open-access network, providing internet accessibility to residents, and to begin a phased project plan to construct a broadband infrastructure.

In late March, they received a $200,000 matching grant under Community and Regional Economic Support program to establish the Broadband Strategic Action Plan.

When asked if Clearwater County would take part in the new project, Communications Coordinator Djurdjica Tutic responded, saying, “The County continues to review available grants and opportunities including the CRTC Broadband Fund. For this grant, “the applicant, or at least one member of a partnership, joint venture, or consortium must have at least three years of experience in deploying and operating broadband infrastructure, and must be eligible to operate as a Canadian carrier. Should the applicant or the members of a partnership, joint venture, or consortium not meet this experience requirement, they must enter into a contractual arrangement with an entity that does.” As the County does not have the current required experience, a partnership would be required.”

Applications for residents and communities to apply for the new Broadband Fund are currently being accepted through crtc.gc.ca until 6 p.m. Mountain Time on March 27, 2020.