People living in rural Saskatchewan and Alberta are a mouse click closer to high speed internet.
In Alberta, the government announced Rural Connections, a pilot program designed to help rural and remote communities get access to high speed internet.
The $9 million of grant funding can be used for infrastructure projects to connect communities to the Alberta SuperNet, evaluate technology to expand or improve broadband service and pay for feasibility studies to support broadband infrastructure project and extension programs to promote broadband use.
The grants range from $10,000 to $50,000. The money is from the federal government’s $1 billion Community Develop Trust Fund.
In Saskatchewan, the province announced it was funding $90 million of a $129 million SaskTel plan to improve rural internet service and build 50 new cell phone towers.
Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall said he expects the province will have 100 percent internet coverage within three years.
