The federal and provincial governments have established a funding partnership of up to $830 million to connect all remaining underserved households in BC to high-speed internet services by 2030. BC intends to accelerate this commitment, with a plan to connect every household by 2027. The Province is seeking input from service providers, as well as Indigenous and local governments, on the development of programs to deliver this funding.
A Request to Participate (RTP) process has been established on BC Bid (Document 13183, posted by Ministry of Citizens’ Services) to solicit input and gather information that could assist the Province in program development. The Province will also use this process to obtain technical and regional information on infrastructure, validate costing assumptions, and gauge potential service provider interest in providing connectivity services to underserved regions of the province. Service providers, Indigenous governments, and local governments are encouraged to respond. The process closes on April 25, 2022, at 2:00 pm PDT.
To learn more about the RTP process, local and Indigenous government staff are invited to attend the next meeting of the Regional Connectivity Knowledge Network (RCKN). The RCKN meeting will be held virtually on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm PDT. For an invitation to the meeting, or for further information, Indigenous and local government staff may email the Connectivity Division of the Ministry of Citizens’ Services.