Better internet coming to rural areas

Investing in infrastructure -

Faster internet service will help improve opportunities for education, business, and quality of life for more rural Islanders.

The provincial government will soon issue a request for proposals (RFP) for a company or companies to help enhance internet service in rural parts of the province. It is the latest step in government’s ongoing work to improve internet service for all Islanders.

 
“So much of what we do involves the internet, so fast and reliable internet service is a necessity of life all across Prince Edward Island,” Economic Development and Tourism Minister Chris Palmer said. “Our government has collaborated with several community partners to make progress thus far, and this RFP is a major step toward achieving our goal.”

The RFP will require that internet speeds for 90 percent of Island homes meet or exceed the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) objective by the end of 2021. That objective is to provide 50 Mbps (mega bits per second) for downloads and 10 Mbps for uploads.

The RFP will be issued next month. The successful vendor(s) will be chosen after a review of the submitted proposals.

An advance tender notification will be posted on July 11, 2018 at: www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/tenders 

Media contact:
Andrew Sprague
agsprague@gov.pe.ca 

Backgrounder: 

The provincial government’s 2018-19 capital budget announced government’s intention to help facilitate the expansion of higher-quality internet services across rural Prince Edward Island.

So far, government has collaborated with various community groups, and in some cases it has provided both financial and infrastructure support to improve internet services in:
•    Seawood Estates (complete);
•    Rattenbury Road (complete); and
•    Route 20 in French River;
•    Preliminary discussions are ongoing in several other communities

Government is finalizing development of the RFP in conjunction with Stantec. The exact form of government’s support is still being considered, but will include funding and/or other auxiliary assistance.