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A joint Expression of Interest is open under the Alberta Broadband Fund to bring high-speed internet to areas that still lack access.
Overview
As part of the Alberta Broadband Strategy, we have committed $36 million to the Alberta Broadband Fund (ABF) to help ensure every rural, remote, and Indigenous household in the province can access high-speed internet.
This funding is part of Alberta’s overall $390-million commitment to improve access to high-speed internet. It will be used to implement solutions to connect rural, remote, and Indigenous communities that do not currently have access to federal target speeds of 50 megabits per second (Mbps) for downloads, and 10 Mbps for uploads.
It introduces multiple streams that address key priorities to help us bridge connectivity gaps left by the Universal Broadband Fund (UBF).
Eligibility
The ABF is using many of the same eligibility and assessment criteria requirements used for the UBF. For example, we will be using the same definitions for eligible applicants and eligible activities.
The ABF is open to eligible applicants, including Canadian corporations, municipalities, Indigenous entities, and partnerships of those groups.
It supports projects that extend or enhance household access to high-speed internet services in areas with speeds less than federal targets of 50 Mbps for downloads and 10 Mbps for uploads. Funding for these projects is currently available until March 31, 2027.
The ABF provides funding for new broadband projects in Alberta. To be eligible, a project cannot have an application for federal or other broadband projects currently in progress.
Each stream will also define its own specific requirements.
Stream 1 - Closed
Stream 1, Service Availability Challenges, was centred on closing connectivity gaps in currently underserved communities.
Stream 1 was used to address communities where the community believed the delivered internet speeds are below the federal target of 50 megabits per second (Mbps) for downloads and 10 Mbps for uploads, despite federally mapped service availability claims indicating target speeds are available.
To be eligible for funding, applicants were required to prove that mapped speeds indicated on the federal broadband service availability map are inaccurate. Submissions required applicant verification that broadband services are:
Not and will not be available through current service providers
Not accessible to a sizable portion of existing or new households in the area
Applications were open from December 20, 2022, to March 20, 2023. This intake is closed.
Government staff will follow up on every registration to offer a one-on-one consultation to discuss current federal mapping speeds and any areas the application is planning to challenge. Additional meetings may be scheduled, where required.
Eligibility
In addition to the basic eligibility outlined above, an application:
- Must be submitted by a community or internet service provider
- Must use ABF templates to provide evidence that clearly demonstrates minimal federal target speeds are not available from any service providers in the area
- Must receive written endorsement of the evidence from Government of Alberta staff
A written endorsement is required for application submission.
To be eligible for funding once a written endorsement is secured, an application:
- Must improve internet speeds in an area that does not have access 50 Mbps for downloads and 10 Mbps for uploads.
- Must not include areas with access to federal target speeds, except for areas where challenges have been endorsed.
- Must provide open access to Points of Presence that are components of the project.
- Must not include any areas or households that are recipients of any other federal or provincial broadband funding programs. Examples include but are not limited to:
Stream 2 - Open
The Governments of Alberta and Canada are inviting eligible applicants under the UBF to express their interest in developing a proposal to connect underserved households in the province in areas which remain without access to Internet speeds of 50/10 Mbps. Funding is currently available until March 31, 2027, and projects must be completed by this date.
The focus of this call for interest is on the most densely populated areas without service as indicated by the attached map. Densely populated areas outside of this map are either already considered served or will be served through existing projects, including those under the UBF.
The Governments of Alberta and Canada are inviting eligible applicants under the UBF to express their interest in developing a proposal to connect underserved households in the province in areas which remain without access to Internet speeds of 50/10 Mbps. Funding is currently available until March 31, 2027, and projects must be completed by this date.
The focus of this call for interest is on the most densely populated areas without service as indicated by the attached map. Densely populated areas outside of this map are either already considered served or will be served through existing projects, including those under the UBF.
Under the UBF, eligible applicants are:
- Canadian entities or groups of Canadian entities that operate broadband infrastructure; or
- Canadian entities or groups of entities that do not operate broadband infrastructure but have identified a plan to engage an entity or group of entities with experience building, owning, and operating the infrastructure their project(s) is proposing may also be eligible.
Eligible applicants are invited to come forward with expressions of interest until November 8, 2024.
To submit an expression of interest or bring forward questions, including any questions on the attached map, please reach out, at your earliest convenience to:
A program official will follow up with you directly, in your preferred method of communication, to help you navigate the application process, explain other application requirements and share the application template.
For more information visit:
Stream 3 - 2025
This stream will support the most remote and hardest to connect households that will not benefit from other broadband expansion projects. A limited number of remote households will be eligible to apply for a one-time grant to off-set the cost of adopting high-speed internet.
More information, including dates and specific eligibility criteria, is expected to be shared in 2025.
Contact
Connect with the Alberta Broadband Fund:
Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Phone: 780-427-2711
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Email: [email protected]