West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country MP Patrick Weiler says he thinks projects aimed at improving high-speed Internet access in the rural areas of the riding could be a contender for funding as governments look for “recovery projects” in the wake of the pandemic.
Weiler has raised the idea in his past two conference calls with the business community on the Sunshine Coast
“As we continue to improve upon our broadband connectivity and there’s continued acceptance of people working remotely, I think that’s going to open up a lot of opportunities for the Coast,” Weiler said on April 27. “I think that really could be a game changer.”
Weiler mentioned broadband projects again May 4 when asked about the type of stimulus spending that could be a good fit for the Coast.
He said the MPs who make up the rural caucus have already been discussing it as a priority.
“I’ve been working on that on the Sunshine Coast, working with different Internet service providers about connecting areas that still have persistent challenges with accessing high-speed Internet,” Weiler said. “That’s going to be a key part of the recovery and it’s also going to open up more doors in the future.”
Improving rural Internet access has been on the to-do list for successive governments at both the federal and provincial levels, and the B.C. government recently announced “targeted funding” for rural, remote and Indigenous communities during the COVID-19 pandemic to support faster Internet services “at a time when they need them most.”
The funding will fall under the $50-million Connecting British Columbia program and will be used to help Internet Service Providers (ISP) with grants of up to $50,000 for immediate network equipment upgrades in underserved communities throughout the province.
“People working from home, students learning remotely and families practising physical distancing all need to know they can depend on Internet access during this public-health emergency,” said Citizens’ Services Minister Anne Kang in an April 24 announcement. “Our communities need reliable Internet access right now, and this new fund will get projects completed quickly.”
There’s no word yet on whether and ISPs serving the Coast have applied for funding under the new program, but the Sunshine Coast is one of the areas slated for better high-speed Internet as part of a $45.4-million federal-provincial initiative announced in January 2018.
The under-served areas expected to benefit from the Connected Coast project being managed by the Strathcona Regional District include Earls Cove, Egmont, the Francis Peninsula, Port Mellon, and New Brighton on Gambier Island.
The last update from Connected Coast said the work was scheduled for completion in 2021.
