By rdnewsNOW Staff

$150 Million Government Investment

UCP, NDP pledging expansion of high speed internet at Rural Municipalities Fall Convention

Nov 26, 2021 | 10:27 AM

With the Rural Municipalities of Alberta Fall Convention wrapping up in Edmonton today, the United Conservative caucus is highlighting its party’s commitment to investing $150 million into rural broadband that is hoped to attract further funding from additional sources.

“The Notley NDP completely ignored rural Alberta for four years on a number of important files, including rural broadband. They invested zip, nada, nothing into improving rural Alberta’s broadband connectivity,” said Camrose MLA Jackie Lovely. “Our United Conservative government is delivering for rural Alberta, committing to an investment of $150 million to improve broadband connectivity in rural, remote and Indigenous communities, and we’re confident this investment will unlock more funding going forward.”

Alberta’s United Conservative government made the announcement this past summer in Camrose, at an event that included the Rural Municipalities of Alberta, and local and Indigenous leaders.

“We are delivering where the Notley NDP failed, and we aren’t looking back. We are bridging the digital divide between rural and urban Albertans,” Lovely said. “The Notley NDP will say anything for votes, but ultimately, they’ve never been there for rural Alberta and they never will be.”

Meantime, in an address to the Rural Municipalities of Alberta this week, Notley presented rural leaders with her plan, “Bridging the Digital Divide”, a proposal created through the Alberta’s Future initiative following more than a year of extensive consultation with internet service providers, municipalities, and all Albertans.

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In just four years, party officials say an NDP government would ensure every Albertan has access to the 50/10 speed standard. Based on a comparative analysis conducted by Deloitte, the NDP estimates this plan will create 18,700 jobs and generate an additional $4 billion in GDP growth over five years. The fully-costed $520-million provincial investment would be recovered through increased government revenue within six years.

“Access to high-speed internet is critical for building strong, sustainable rural communities,” said Notley. “The digital divide between urban and rural is hurting our province. It hurts rural families who want their kids to have a better future. It hurts rural entrepreneurs who want to expand their businesses. And it hurts rural municipalities trying to attract new investment and create new opportunities for their citizens.”

“We cannot sustain two Albertas. We cannot allow the digital divide to grow into a digital canyon. We will unite Albertans behind this undertaking and we will lead Alberta into the future.”

NDP officials say the party’s plan is designed to be achieved in one mandate through a series of steps:

• New Agency: Create a new agency called Digital Innovation Alberta, empowered by legislative authority to achieve 100 per cent coverage. An advisory group to provide guidance to the government on practical solutions that will include municipal and Indigenous leaders, internet service providers (ISPs), utility companies and gas co-ops. It’s first mandate will be to identify gaps in coverage and determine current speeds.
• Competitive Funding Model: The Government of Alberta would take a regional approach to closing those gaps, holding a series of open and competitive reverse auctions to find bids to provide the highest speeds at the lowest price. Bids may be made by ISPs, utility companies, gas co-ops, and municipalities.
• Regional Approach: Successful bids proceed to infrastructure build and connection. As the solutions will vary across the province, some connections will be achieved through fibre optic builds, while others will be achieved through fixed wireless towers or satellite connection.
• Affordability Credit: To ensure affordability for the Albertans whose only options are satellite connections, the Government of Alberta will implement a Satellite Solution Tax Credit that will ensure those Albertans’ internet bills are comparable to the rates charged in urban centres.

In her remarks to rural reeves and councillors, Notley spoke about how the disparity between urban and rural internet leaves rural families feeling left behind.

“This is a feeling shared by Albertans who watch their friends and family in urban centres use high-speed internet to talk to their doctor, upgrade their education, run their business and watch Netflix while they park outside the KFC in town just so the kids can finish their homework,” she said.

“Parking lot internet is not a solution. This can’t go on and I won’t let it.”