The Government of British Columbia has announced that homes, businesses and other institutions can now apply for grants for high-speed internet through the Connecting British Columbia program.
The program, which is offered through B.C.’s Northern Development Initiative Trust, will also offer funding to help communities come up with plans for future high-speed connectivity strategies.
According to the government, successful applicants receive up to a 50 percent contribution for eligible costs. Funding will also be available for improving connectivity to entire regions of British Columbia. The government says applications for transport fibre projects will be accepted beginning September 1st, 2018, with a total of $16 million being offered.
“High costs are one of the main barriers to connecting communities,” said Jinny Sims, minister of Citizens’ Services, in a press statement. “This funding will support last-mile projects that will help close the gap between urban and rural areas, and allow B.C.’s smaller communities to better participate in the digital economy.”
“Connecting British Columbia has helped our province accelerate the growth of our digital economy. By leveraging funds from the private sector and other levels of government, the program has been critical in helping deliver the infrastructure projects B.C. needs to compete, now and in the future,” added Joel McKay, Northern Development Initiative Trust CEO.
Submissions will be “reviewed and assessed on a first-come, first-served basis.” Applicants are required to demonstrate that their projects will be completed by March 31st, 2020.
More information can be found here.
Source: Government of British Columbia
MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.
