Question Period Note: CANADA-ALBERTA BROADBAND PARTNERSHIP

About

Reference number:
ISED-RED-2022-QP-00011
Date received:
Jul 14, 2022
Organization:
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Name of Minister:
Hutchings, Gudie (Hon.)
Title of Minister:
Minister of Rural Economic Development

Issue/Question:

What are the details of the Canada-Alberta broadband partnership announced March 9, 2022?

Suggested Response:

• High-speed Internet access is essential for all Canadians, no matter where they live. That is why the Government of Canada has made billions of dollars available for rural and remote Internet infrastructure – including $2.75 billion under the Universal Broadband Fund.

• The Government of Canada is proud to collaborate with the Government of Alberta to invest up to $780 million to connect all underserved households in the province.

• The government is committed to connecting 98% of Canadians by 2026. This can only be achieved through partnerships with other levels of government, the private sector, Indigenous groups, and other stakeholders.

Background:

• The Canada-Alberta broadband partnership announced on March 9, 2022, represents a plan to connect all households in Alberta that currently do not have access to 50/10 Mbps Internet service, approximately 200,000 households.
• This announcement builds on the Canada-Alberta broadband partnership initially announced in December 2021 where both levels of government allocated up to $300 million in joint funding.

• Recognizing the potential to do more and given the effectiveness of working together, both levels of government have increased their joint funding to up to $780 million.

• The Government of Canada’s funding of up to $390 million comes from the Universal Broadband Fund, and up to $390 million is being provided by the Government of Alberta.
• The Government of Canada has announced other federal-provincial broadband partnerships with Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Newfoundland.
• The Government of Canada is working hard with all provinces and territories to ensure that projects are announced across the country in the coming months.

• To date, the Universal Broadband Fund has announced more than $2 billion in funding to connect more than 900,000 households and more announcements are coming soon.

Additional Information:

The $2.75 billion Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) will help ensure that 98% of Canadians will be connected to high-speed Internet by 2026, and 100% by 2030. The UBF includes a Rapid Response Stream for shovel-ready projects that can be completed quickly, $50 million for mobile projects that primarily benefit Indigenous peoples, and $750 million for large, high-impact projects.
Under the Rapid Response Stream, $48.4 million in UBF funding has been announced to connect nearly 15,000 households. This funding is included in the up to $390 million Government of Canada contribution to the Canada-Alberta broadband partnership.

Across all government broadband programs since 2015, the Government of Canada has announced 52 broadband projects in Alberta with nearly $214 million in funding to connect 37,000 households.