The federal Liberal government is promising to invest $1.75 billion to expand high-speed internet to communities across Canada.
The government says the plan is to connect 98 per cent of Canadians by 2026, and the hope is that everyone will have access by the end of the decade.
“Good reliable internet isn’t a luxury, it’s a basic service,” Trudeau said earlier today at a news conference in Ottawa.
“We’re all going online to stay in touch with family and friends. Now more than ever a video chat cutting out during a meeting or a connection that’s too slow to upload a school assignment, that’s not just a hassle, that’s a barrier.”
The expansion for universal broadband was originally announced in the 2019 budget with the Universal Broadband Fund. Today’s announcement adds $750 million to that initial commitment which includes $150 million for streamlined projects, as well as a $600-million deal with Ottawa-based satellite company Telesat to set up particularly remote communities with high-speed broadband via satellite.