Rural Canadian Municipalities Can Now Apply to Receive up to $5 Million in Funding for Broadband Projects
The Universal Broadband Fund: Rapid Response Stream has a budget of up to $150 million and is offered to enhance household access to high-speed Internet in the very short term or before November 15, 2021. The program goal is to address immediate broadband needs and to contribute to the acceleration of the connectivity timelines and ambitions of the Universal Broadband Fund.
- The Fund will allocate contributions of up to $5 million to projects that can be deployed quickly and have a big impact on networks in rural and remote areas where Internet service speeds have not yet reached 50/10 Mbps
- The maximum amount of funding that an applicant can request for a broadband project is up to 75% of the total eligible costs, or up to 90% of the total eligible costs for projects targeting very remote areas, satellite-dependent and/or Indigenous communities
Eligible Recipients
- Not-for-profit organization or a for-profit corporation incorporated in Canada
- Canadian provincial, territorial or municipal entity
- A Band Council
- An Indigenous government authority
- A non-federal public sector body
- Partnership of any of the entities listed above
Eligible Costs
- Labour costs
- Material costs
- Equipment costs
- Satellite capacity costs
- Travel costs
Deadline
Applications for the Rapid Response Stream will be accepted on an ongoing basis until January 15, 2021 and selected as they are received. The program encourages potential applicants to apply as early as possible.
