Federal broadband cash may not reach province

The $305 million announced this week in the federal budget to bring broadband Internet to rural Canada is unlikely to come to Saskatchewan, if a previous program is any indicator.

It’s too soon to say if SaskTel will be eligible for the money, since Tuesday’s announcement did not provide criteria for applying, SaskTel spokeswoman Tara Tibeau said.

None of the federal funding granted in 2011 to improve rural and remote Internet access came to Saskatchewan, Tibeau said. Most of that money went to locations that had no Internet access.

Saskatchewan has a more extensive reach into rural and remote locations than other provinces, possibly because it is the last to have a Crown telecommunications corporation, she said.

SaskTel provides 4G wireless Internet to 98 per cent of customers and DSL wired connections to about 350 communities, including First Nations, all the way up to Fond du Lac on the north shore of Lake Athabasca.

“We’re a Crown corporation, so we have a commitment to all people in Saskatchewan. We’ve always had a mandate to provide the best service we can, especially to those who can’t get service from other providers because of things like location and cost,” Tibeau said.

David Marit, president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, said he’s pleased the government recognized the need for Internet access in rural locations and will be watching to see if the money helps bring down the cost of access.

“For the most part I think rural Saskatchewan is well serviced through SaskTel with high speed,” he said. “I know there’s some dead spots, but for the most part I think people understand there isn’t going to be service everywhere because of population.”