The federal government and the province of Quebec yesterday announced a $19.8 million CAD investment as part of Canada–Quebec Operation High Speed earmarked for bringing access to high-speed internet to over 1,600 homes in the Mauricie region.
Operation High Speed as a whole is slated to cost over $826 million CAD. The $19.8 million CAD investment will enable Cogego to deploy reliable, high-performance infrastructure in the Mauricie region, furthering the reach of broadband in Canada.
The announcement was made by the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry and Member of Parliament for Saint-Mauricie–Champlain, Philippe Jetté, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cogeco, and other government officials.
“The people of Mauricie, as in other Quebec regions, absolutely need reliable connectivity. The COVID-19 crisis has shown the importance of having access to broadband digital services. By investing in these high-speed Internet projects in the region, we’re helping bridge the digital divide, stimulate economic growth and create jobs”, said the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne
Here’s a complete list of the municipalities this investment will cater to:
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Des Chenaux RCM: |
Batiscan, Champlain, Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel, Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan, Saint-Luc-de-Vincennes, Saint-Maurice, Saint-Narcisse, Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain, Saint-Stanislas. |
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Maskinongé RCM: |
Saint-Boniface, Yamachiche |
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Mékinac RCM: |
Grandes-Piles, Hérouxville, Lac-aux-Sables, Lac-Normand, Saint-Adelphe, Sainte-Thècle, Saint-Roch-de-Mékinac, Saint-Tite, Saint-Séverin, Trois-Rives |
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Shawinigan Territory: |
Shawinigan |
Operation High Speed sees the Canadian government and Quebec partnering with a number of different internet service providers to expand connectivity to an additional 150,000+ homes, especially in rural areas.
The project is scheduled for completion by September 2022, and so is Cogeco’s deployment of high-speed internet in Mauricie.
I wonder what an investment of over $800 million into SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet instead could do for these rural households, instead of building out broadband to each area. In the meantime, anyone can sign up for Starlink’s internet beta program by clicking here.
