In June 2019, the Government released Canada's Connectivity Strategy with the objective of bringing access to Internet speeds of at least 50/10 Megabytes per second (Mbps) to all households by 2030. Since then, federal, provincial and private sector investments have been bridging our country's connectivity gap. This includes federal investments being made through the $3.225 billion Universal Broadband Fund (UBF).
In 2017, 82.6% of households in Alberta had access to speeds of 50/10 Mbps. It is projected that by 2026, 96% of households in the province will have access. As such, while significant progress is being made, there still remains more work to be done to be on the path to 100% access.
In 2022, a Canada-Alberta partnership was announced to co-fund UBF projects in Alberta. The co-funding represents $780 million ($390 million from the Government of Canada and $390 million from the Government of Alberta) to bridge the connectivity divide in the province.
Today, a special call for interest is being launched for the province with a continued partnership with the Government of Alberta under the Alberta Broadband Fund (ABF). The Governments are inviting eligible applicants under the UBF to express their interest in developing a proposal to connect underserved households in the province in areas which remain without access to Internet speeds of 50/10 Mbps. Funding is currently available until March 31, 2027, and projects must be completed by this date.
The focus of this call for interest is on the most dense areas without service as indicated by the linked map. Densely populated areas outside of this map are either already considered served or will be served through existing projects, including those under the UBF.
Under the UBF, eligible applicants are:
- Canadian entities or groups of Canadian entities that operate broadband infrastructure
- Canadian entities or groups of entities that do not operate broadband infrastructure but have identified a plan to engage an entity or group of entities with experience building, owning, and operating the infrastructure their project(s) is proposing may also be eligible
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) and the Alberta department of Technology and Innovation (TI) are interested in hearing from all parties ready to participate in a project to bring improved connectivity to underserved households. ISED and TI will require that parties demonstrate the project is technically feasible, sustainable and financially viable. The maximum amount of funding available for a broadband project is up to 75% of the total eligible costs, or up to 90% of the total eligible costs for projects targeting very remote areas, satellite-dependent and/or Indigenous communities. ISED will work with interested parties to determine if they have a project that meets these criteria.
Eligible applicants are invited to come forward with expressions of interest until November 8, 2024. To submit an expression of interest, or to bring forward your questions including any questions on the coverage map, please first reach out, at your earliest convenience, to: get-connected-branchez-vous@ised-isde.gc.ca. A program official will follow up with you directly, in your preferred method of communication, to help you navigate the application process, explain other application requirements and share the application template.
ISED has tried to be as inclusive as possible in this call out and therefore it is possible you are receiving this message but already have high-speed Internet in your community or have supported a project underway.
We are looking forward to working with you towards our common goal of 100% access to high-speed Internet for all households in Alberta.