PEI Broadband Fund for Residents

PEI Broadband Fund for Residents provides financial assistance for Prince Edward Island residents to have an Internet Service Provider (ISP) complete work that will allow the resident to receive internet service or improved internet service at their primary residence.

Approved applicants will receive financial assistance of up to 100% of the eligible project costs, to a maximum value of $5,000.  

Program eligibility date is April 1, 2021. Installations meeting program criteria occurring on or after April 1, 2021 are eligible to apply. 

Who is eligible for funding?

• You may be eligible if you are a full-time Prince Edward Island resident seeking to upgrade internet service to your primary residence that is in a geographical area where either;
• the only available service is low speed internet; or 
• broadband service exists, but is unavailable at your residence due to obstruction of the signal; or 
• no internet service is available; or
• available service is below 50 Mbps.

What activities are supported?

The PEI Broadband Fund for Residents provides financial assistance for costs directly related to work completed by an ISP to improve internet service speed or provide internet service at a previously un-serviced primary residence.  

Eligible project costs are limited to:

• Equipment required to improve internet service speed to the residence, including antennas, tripods, poles, and towers;
• Driveway fiber/cable installation in excess of 300 feet from the main road;
• Satellite equipment minus connection fee, Wi-fi router/router, or modem; 
• Installation of the required equipment by qualified operators;
• Taxes that a resident is not eligible to have refunded, and
• Other cost-effective solutions may be considered. Please inquire here prior to submitting an application.

Any permit requirements are the sole responsibility of the applicant or contractor.

Applications for projects in excess of $500 must be approved by Innovation PEI before starting the installation. 

What activities are NOT supported? 

• Previous recipients receiving the maximum contribution from PEI Broadband Residential Pilot are not eligible for funding.  Please inquire here if you are experiencing a significant change in service;
• The running of fiber from the main road along a driveway to a residence less than 300 feet; 
• Standard costs for a new customer premises connection, including connection fee, Wi-Fi router/router, or modem;
• Any leased equipment; 
• Expenses incurred before March 31, 2021;
• Work related to providing internet service at a non-primary residence or non-residential location;
• Work related to providing internet service or boosting of an internet signal to multiple dwellings at the civic address and/or to a neighboring civic address;
• Maintenance or removal of equipment or infrastructure;
• Other items deemed not reasonably related to improving internet speed to the residence; and
• Any portion of the cost of an asset that, in the opinion of Innovation PEI, exceeds the fair market value of the asset.

If a cost-effective solution that will provide the best service improvement is identified and does not meet the eligibility requirements, please consult with Innovation PEI staff.

What level of assistance is available? 

Approved applicants will receive financial assistance of up to 100% of the eligible project costs, to a maximum of $5,000 per civic address.

Maintenance and/or removal of equipment or infrastructure is the responsibility of the applicant or contractor.

What process will be followed to assess the applications?

PEI Broadband Fund for Residents is administered by Innovation PEI on behalf of the Province of Prince Edward Island.  There is no administration or application fee charged to applicants.  

Residents are responsible to apply to determine eligibility.  Residents will submit the civic location, current internet service level, service provider quote, and the proposed new internet service level for consideration.  

All applications will be evaluated on the provision of the information requested, including completeness and suitability of the information, and will be assessed on factors including:

• Incremental broadband improvement and quality of the proposed service; 
• Eligibility of the applicant, civic address and proposed work; and
• Availability of PEIBF for Residents budget.

Where the cost is more than $500, applications must be submitted, and resident must receive an electronic approval notification from Innovation PEI outlining program eligibility prior to the start of the project.  Any expenses incurred before the submission of an application are ineligible. Applications received for projects occurring in the retroactive period (April 1, 2021 to October 14, 2021) may be eligible subject to meeting the criteria outlined for the PEI Broadband Fund for Residents.

What do I need to apply for this service?

If the cost is $500 or less, to complete the application you will need to provide:

• Resident contact information, including civic address of primary residence, email address, phone number;
• Current internet service provider and internet service speed at the time of installation; and
• An invoice on letterhead from the ISP and either 
  • if the resident paid - proof of payment and a copy of a void cheque, OR 
  • if the resident did not pay - instruction on payment to the ISP made at the time of application.

If the cost is more than $500, an application must be received and approved before the work can begin.

• Online submission of an application;
• Resident contact information, including civic address of primary residence, email address, phone number; 
• A quote on letterhead from an ISP including:
  • Itemization of equipment for the proposed work, 
  • Breakdown of each cost, 
  • Total cost of proposed project, 
  • Current internet service (located on your internet bill), and
  • Expected internet service.

How do I make a claim?

If the cost is $500 or less the request for payment can be made at the time of application.

If the cost is more than $500 to complete the claim you will need:

• To have received an approval email notification from Innovation PEI that contains claiming directions; 
• Submit an online claim  
  • If you did not pay the invoice, submit the ISP invoice outlining:  
    • Itemization of equipment used on the project, 
    • Breakdown of each cost,
    • Total cost of project work to be completed, 
    • Identification of internet speed upon completion of the installation, and
       
• Online verification that eligible project costs have been incurred and paid.
  • If you paid the ISP invoice, 
    • Submit the ISP Invoice that includes the information outlined above 
    • Proof of payment, and
    • Copy of a void cheque for direct deposit to your bank account.

When is the deadline for applications? 

Once the project is approved and completed (over $500), the request for payment must be made no later than six months after the ISP invoice date.

If the cost is $500 or less, applications may be submitted to Innovation PEI after completion of the project but no later than six months after the ISP invoice date or the closing date of the program, whichever comes first.

Applications to the PEI Broadband Fund for Residents will be received subject to availability of budget

What are the terms and conditions of the application and funding? 

View the full terms and conditions.

Do you have questions? 

You can view our frequently asked questions.