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Remote Quebec homes getting high-speed internet access with Elon Musk’s Starlink

May 9, 2022 | 10:37 AM

MONTREAL — Quebec says it will use the services of Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk to connect thousands of remote homes in the province to high-speed internet by the end of September. 

The provincial government said today it will invest $50 million to connect about 10,000 remote homes to Starlink satellite internet, which is operated by another one of Musk’s companies, SpaceX.

The homes are located in areas that are difficult to connect to fiber-optic cable because of their distance.

Premier François Legault says high-speed internet is essential because of the rise in remote work and the need to develop the regions outside big cities.

The government says it’s expecting to reach its goal of providing high-speed access to all Quebecers before September.

Quebec estimates it will spend a total of about $1.3 billion to connect the province to high-speed internet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 9, 2022. 

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

The Canadian Press