A historic plan has been announced between the Provincial and Federal governments of Canada to invest up to $830 million to support projects that will improve access to high-speed Internet in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities throughout British Columbia.
Under this plan, both levels of government will contribute up to $415 million for total combined funding of $830 million to connect the entire province of British Columbia, accelerating British Columbia’s connectivity plan with a new provincial target of 100% B.C. communities connected by 2027. This agreement will provide coverage to approximately 115,000 households in British Columbia still underserved, which breaks down to 347 rural communities and 115 Indigenous communities.
The Ministry of Citizens’ Services is requesting interested parties to provide information that will assist the Province in planning future connectivity funding programs to provide high-speed connectivity to remaining underserved households in British Columbia. The RTP process is an opportunity for the Province to obtain regional and market information, validate cost assumptions and gauge potential market interest in providing connectivity services to underserved regions of the Province. Information gathered by the Province may be used as input to future connectivity program design to maximize network expansion to ensure all regions receive benefits from provincially funded connectivity programs.
The PRRD will be submitting a response to the (RTP) on April 25, 2022, and is seeking feedback from residents and businesses no later than April 22. To participate, complete the CIRA Internet Speed Test and the Connecting Communities Survey; a separate survey is available for residents and businesses/industries.
To learn more about the Regional Connectivity Strategy project, please visit the project page on Have Your Say.
