Canadian Press file photo

By David Opinko

Expanding Access

Province earmarks $150M for broadband internet in rural & Indigenous communities

Jul 22, 2021 | 11:52 AM

Premier Jason Kenney says more Albertans will soon be entering the modern digital economy.

As technology becomes a bigger part of everyday life and business, he believes everyone must have access to better internet connections.

Currently, about 12 per cent of Alberta families, or approximately 200,000 households, lack the basic speeds that the federal government believes are fast enough to be considered adequate.

Ottawa states that broadband download speeds should be at least 50 Mbps and uploads at a minimum of 10 Mbps. That was their declaration in 2016, hoping that 90 per cent of Canadian households would meet this standard by 2021.

Kenney, however, says this is nowhere near being the case in Alberta just yet.

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“Right now, about 80 per cent of Indigenous communities don’t have access to reliable internet in our province. Roughly 67 per cent of rural communities cannot rely on a stable internet connection and this is just no longer acceptable.”

That is why the Alberta Government announced $150-million to install broadband internet in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities.

The Premier hopes to be able to leverage this to secure additional funding from the federal government and telecommunications companies.

The total cost of expanding rural broadband internet to underserved areas in the province is estimated at $1-billion.

Minister of Service Alberta Nate Glubish says this investment is a key part of growing Alberta’s economy.

“With better access to broadband internet, we see our GDP grow – we can expect it to grow between $500-million and $1.7-billion with access to universal connectivity. Broadband revitalizes communities by attracting new businesses, creating jobs, building new real estate markets as urban Albertans seek quiet, rural life with remote work opportunities that support meaningful careers.”

The total funding amount was announced Thursday but there are no details at this time on which communities will be getting it.