Minister Tony Clement and MP Ted Falk announce Government of Canada to bring high-speed Internet services to 4,500 homes in Provencher
May 20, 2015 – La Broquerie, Manitoba
Everyday tasks that were once done in person, such as shopping, communicating, learning and banking, are now done online. To help Canadians have better access to these and many other online services, Treasury Board President Tony Clement and Ted Falk, Member of Parliament for Provencher, were in La Broquerie, Manitoba, today to announce that approximately 4,500 homes in Provencher will soon benefit from access to high-speed Internet services.
The Government of Canada is delivering on its commitment to rural Canadians to connect an additional 280,000 households in rural and remote regions of the country to high-speed Internet at minimum speeds of five megabits per second (Mbps).
Today, the Harper Government announced it exceeded that target by over 75,000 households in the first round of partnership approvals, bringing high-speed Internet access to more than 356,000 homes across Canada at an average speed of over 5 Mbps. By Canada's 150th birthday in 2017, over 98 percent of Canadian households will be able to subscribe to new or improved high-speed Internet services, delivering on the Harper Government's commitment to Canadians.
Last summer, the Government completed the first step, inviting Canadians to provide feedback online to help better determine areas in need of high-speed Internet access. Once information was received from individual Canadians and governments across the country, Industry Canada invited Internet service providers to submit proposals for funding under Connecting Canadians to build wireless or wired infrastructure that will provide services to rural and remote communities in need.
For Canadians who live in communities with slow or no Internet, access to high-speed services will lead to new economic opportunities and the creation of new jobs, products and services.
Jake Enwright
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Industry
343-291-2500
Media Relations
Industry Canada
343-291-1777
media-relations@ic.gc.ca
