The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has opened the call for comments towards establishing the application form for the Broadband Fund.
According to a February 14th telecom notice, those wishing to be a part of the proceeding must file their interventions by March 18th.
In the announcement, the CRTC said it “would publish a preliminary application guide” so the public can understand the application process to the Broadband Fund and “interested persons can have an opportunity to provide comments.”
Following the consultation, the CRTC will publish a final application guide.
The CRTC said the $750 million fund would assist in funding continued “access to the basic telecommunications services that form part of the universal service objective, and…closing the gaps in connectivity.”
It coincides with the Telecom Regulatory Policy that the commission established in 2016 stating that all Canadians in urban and rural areas “have access to voice services and broadband internet access services, or both fixed and mobile wireless networks.” The commission at the time said it would invest $750 million over five years in order to successfully provide internet as a basic service.
In September 2018, the commission outlined details regarding how it would evaluate projects based on the area served, the overall cost of the project, the total population of Canadians served, as well as which organizations will be eligible for consideration.
At the time it noted that it will accept submissions from both for-profit and not-for-profit corporations, as well as public-sector bodies.
Source: CRTC
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