SUMMERSIDE – The provincial government of P.E.I has issued an request for proposals (RFP) for a company or companies to service rural Island communities with broadband internet.
"Within the RFP there will be criteria that needs to be met but ultimately we're trying to get P.E.I. the CRTC's 2021 mandate of 90 per cent of homes meeting or exceeding their objective to provide 50 mega bits per second for downloads and 10 mega bits per second for uploads," said Innovation Minister Chris Palmer.
Palmer said brining high-speed internet to rural areas of the Island has been topic of interest since he was introduced to cabinet on Jan. 10.
"It was one of the first conversations I had with the premier. And it's been up for discussion in the house for a while now. We're trying to find a solution to help Islanders in not as densley populated or rural areas while also helping internet providers reach those areas."
Palmer expects to see proposals from large and small players.
The RFP closes on Oct. 12.
"When it is decided, the company or companies will be awarded an amount of money. It's not a loan. We'll be making a contribution to help facilitate internet access across the Island."
Funding will come from both federal and provincial governments.
In June of 2017, the North Shore area including the resort municipalities of Stanley Bridge, Hope River, Bayview, Cavendish and North Rustico were saw broadband internet to about 112 residents and businesses from Eastlink after the company received funding from ACOA's Innovative Community Fund. The community also contributed more than $11,000 to the project.
MORE TO COME
