Federal Government unveils broadband pilot program
Industry minister Alan Rock has unveiled a broadband pilot program, which commits $105 million to the deployment of broadband networks into Aboriginal, northern, rural and remote regions of the country. While it’s good news the government launched the initiative, full funding for the program won’t be granted until well into the second half of next year.
The initiative has a two-phase funding approach calling for business plan applications by the end of October. Companies with winning business petitions will receive $30,000 to further develop the business plan.
Funds provided for the department’s pilot program are a far cry from the estimated cost of between $1.3 and $1.9 billion that the National Broadband Task Force estimated it would cost to provide high-speed access to every community in Canada (RoW, July 9/01). More details.