The province is increasing access to broadband internet in rural area.
Seventy-three thousand households will have access to high speed Internet service thanks to an agreement with Xplornet.
This is the second phase of the initiative and aims to ensure 97 per cent of rural households in New Brunswick have access to fast and reliable internet.
“Our work with the Province of New Brunswick and the Government of Canada have helped make our home province a leader in Internet connectivity,” said Allison Lenehan, president and CEO of Xplornet Communications Inc. “We are grateful for their support and are excited to get to work on connecting New Brunswickers to this next-generation broadband network.”
This phase alone will cost 131-million dollars, with Xplornet investing 91 million and the rest coming from the Rural and Northern Communities portion of the federal Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
Phase 1 was funded in 2018 with a $10-million non-repayable contribution from the province and a $20-million investment by Xplornet and is now complete.
It has allowed 10,000 rural households and businesses to have access to better internet service.
“Upgrading rural broadband is part of the province’s broader strategy to update its digital infrastructure,” said the minister responsible for economic development and small business, Arlene Dunn, who is also minister responsible for Opportunities NB. “We are exploring several ways to embrace new technology such as 5G in our recovery plan for the province.”
