CAMROSE, AB – Work continues to try to provide high speed internet access to everyone in Alberta.
While the total cost of achieving that goal is pegged at around $1 billion, on Thursday the province announced a step in the right direction with a $150-million investment.
Service Alberta Minister Nate Glubish says the money will be used to start construction on broadband expansion projects as soon as possible.
“Alberta’s rural communities have struggled to grow and compete in a modern economy without access to reliable, high-speed internet. This investment will create jobs, improve access to health care and education resources, and diversify the economy in rural Alberta. This is great news for families, students and job creators all across the province.” – Nate Glubish, Minister of Service Alberta
As of now, 80 percent of Indigenous communities and 67 percent of rural communities in Alberta do not have access to recommended high speed internet targets set by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
Glubish says the province will continue to work with the federal government and private sector to share the cost of expanding broadband internet across Alberta.