He made the announcement on behalf of Industry Minister Tony Clement.
“Broadband opens the door to business opportunities, government services and on-line education. It can help us keep in touch with our friends and families,” Warawa said. “These projects represent an important improvement of service, and quality of life, for the people in Langley.”
PCC Communications Inc. has been granted $3.7 million to provide high- speed Internet services to households in Aldergrove, Brookswood and Fernridge.
While details of the contribution agreement will be finalized shortly, Industry Canada and PCC Communications will offer approximately 2,600 households in the region the opportunity to sign up for reasonably-priced broadband service. Work on the project must be completed by Dec. 31, 2011.
This is the first in a series of projects to receive conditional funding approval under the Broadband Canada: Connecting Rural Canadians program. A total of 52 projects, in nine provinces and territories across Canada, will bring broadband Internet access to an estimated 169,000 households.
“For the individuals, families and business that will now have access to broadband Internet, this will mean access to important economic and social benefits, including telehealth, business opportunities and distance learning”, says Warawa. “More broadly, it will encourage economic development, spur innovation and improve the quality of life in hundreds of communities from coast to coast to coast.”
The 2009 federal budget provided $225 million to Industry Canada to develop and implement a strategy to extend broadband Internet coverage across Canada. More information about this program is available on the Broadband Canada: Connecting Rural Canadians website, at www.ic.gc.ca/broadband.
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Quelle/Source: BCLocalNews, 27.05.2010