Alberta legislature. (Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Governments more than double funding for high-speed internet in Alberta

Mar 9, 2022 | 10:54 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The provincial and federal governments have announced a significant expansion of funding to improve Albertans’ access to high-speed internet.

Back in December, they declared a joint commitment of up to $300 million.

READ MORE: Governments commit up to $300M for high-speed internet in Alberta

Now, the governments have increased that amount by 160 per cent to $780 million.

Federal Minister of Rural Economic Development Gudie Hutchings says it is part of their commitment to connecting 98 per cent of all Canadians with high-speed internet by 2026 and 100 per cent by 2030.

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“We need to close this connection gap and ensure that every nook and cranny of Alberta has access to reliable high-speed Internet. That’s why today’s announcement to increase funding to $780 million to connect all remaining underserved households in the province is a historic milestone for Alberta.”

Officials estimate that it would cost around $1 billion to completely eliminate Alberta’s digital divide.

Minister of Service Alberta Nate Glubish says, after last year’s funding announcement, the two levels of government got together and realized that they could do more together.

“I’m so excited to have the federal government joining us as partners to match that commitment, pushing the total investment to $780 million. As we work with the private sector partners that will build this infrastructure, we know they will have significant financial contributions to make. We anticipate these additional contributions will push broadband investment north of $1 billion.”

“With this funding agreement in place, we can focus on reviewing funding applications and getting shovels in the ground this spring so we can bring immediate relief to Albertans all across the province,” Glubish adds.

Approximately 200,000 households in Alberta do not currently have access to high-speed internet.

Under Canada’s Connectivity Strategy, high-speed internet is defined as having download speeds of at least 50 megabits per second and upload speeds of 10 megabits per second or more.