The province is helping people who live in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities access to fast internet access.
The $50 million Connecting British Columbia program will now include a funding stream to help internet service providers with immediate network equipment upgrades to rapidly improve capacity and internet speeds.
“People working from home, students learning remotely and families practicing physical distancing all need to know they can depend on internet access during this public-health emergency,” said Minister of Citizens’ Services Anne Kang.
According to the province, internet service providers have reported increased demand for networks, wherein some cases cause slowdowns or outages.
The funding will enable ISP’s to make immediate upgrades to their networks in order to better support people who count on the services.
Internet Service providers across the province can apply for grants of up to $50,000 or 90 % of their expenses to cover the cots of equipment like, antennas, electronics, or other devices that relate to the performance or range of the network.
Applications are now being accepted by the Northern Development Initiative Trust. Submissions will be reviewed on a first-come-first-served basis, with funding decisions made within three to five business days.
Internet Service Providers must complete the projects by June 30.