Feds to Spend $41.5 Million to Bring High-Speed Internet to 2,800 Homes in Alberta, Ontario

Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada has announced over $41.5 million in investments to expand high-speed internet to 2,812 homes in rural Alberta and Ontario.

On Tuesday, ISED announced $555,777 to bring high-speed internet to 136 homes in rural areas near North Bay, Ontario.

“This investment will bring reliable high-speed Internet access to 136 households near Hornell Heights, Ontario, helping create jobs, improving access to health care and online learning services, and keeping people connected. Since 2015, the Government of Canada has committed $7.2 billion to connect rural Canadians to better, faster Internet by 2026. We will continue making investments like these in rural and remote communities to help connect every single Canadian to high-speed Internet,” said Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development in a statement.

On Wednesday, ISED announced $41 million to bring high-speed internet to 2,676 homes in rural Alberta, including communities such as Sunchild First Nation, O’Chiese, Fort McMurray #468 First Nation, Peavine Metis Settlement, Duncan’s First Nation and more, in 21 total projects, with ATG Arrow Technology Group Limited Partnership to take half of the installations.

Both announces will see funding from the federal government’s Universal Broadband Fund’s (UBF) Rapid Response Stream, totalling $41,555,777. It works out to $4,086 per home in Ontario and a whopping $15,321 per home in rural Alberta.

Building out high-speed internet to rural areas is an expensive endeavour; many rural Canadians are already subscribing to SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet, which costs $129 CAD per month after $649 CAD for hardware (satellite dish and router).

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