100 MILE HOUSE, B.C. - The British Columbia government will contribute $50 million to an ongoing internet connectivity program to bring high-speed services to rural, remote and Indigenous communities.
Ravi Kahlon, the parliamentary secretary for rural development, says the grant funding is expected to benefit people living in up to 200 rural and Indigenous communities.
Kahlon was in 100 Mile House, north of Kamloops, to announce that the funding can be used to help bring high-speed internet to entire regions or to make final connections to homes and businesses.
Everywhere I go I hear about challenges rural and remote communities face with lack of high speed internet. Great to be in #100mile to announce a historic $50 million to support high speed internet expansion. This will unlock economic development opportunities throughout B.C. 🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/gGwp2fTzpr
— Ravi kahlon (@KahlonRav) December 2, 2019
He says the $50 million is the largest single investment in the province's Connecting British Columbia program since its creation in 2015.
Kahlon says rural and remote communities are also eligible to access the federal government's recently released $750-million broadband fund to provide investments in local infrastructure to deliver high-speed internet.
Rural Internet provider Falko Kadenbach says it is challenging to build fast, reliable and affordable networks into more remote areas.