CONNECTING BRITISH COLUMBIA - REGIONAL CONNECTIVITY PLAN FUNDING

As part of the Program, the Regional Connectivity Plan Funding (“Funding”) supports the development of regional connectivity infrastructure plans. The Funding is intended to support eligible applicants with the technical infrastructure assessment of current and proposed networks in a regional connectivity plan.

The Connecting British Columbia program (“Program”) provides province-wide connectivity funding administered by Northern Development Initiative Trust (Northern Development) and funded by the Province of British Columbia.

The current objective of the multi-year Program is to accelerate the access of high-speed internet connectivity at minimum target speeds of 50 megabits per second (Mbps) down and 10 Mbps up to homes and businesses in underserved rural and Indigenous communities in B.C.

As part of the Program, the Regional Connectivity Plan Funding (“Funding”) supports the development of regional connectivity infrastructure plans. The Funding is intended to support eligible applicants with the technical infrastructure assessment of current and proposed networks in a regional connectivity plan.

What is the Goal of a Regional Connectivity Plan?

The goal of a Regional Connectivity Plan is to:

• •Ensure proposed investments in connectivity support the desired outcomes that the internet services are expected to deliver
• •Reduce the investment risk for Internet Service Provider’s (ISP’s) by providing documented supportfor the required infrastructure prior to costly engineering studies and business case due diligence

What are the Basic Components of a Regional Connectivity Plan?

A Regional Connectivity Plan consists of:

• •An inventory of available broadband services in the region with internet service providers identified
• •Prioritized regional goals and objectives
• •Identified gaps in the current connectivity and how objectives may be affected
• •Connectivity solutions that are required to support regional goals and objectives
• •A cost estimate of the required connectivity solution to support the regional goals and objectives

Funding Objectives and Conditions

The Funding will offset applicant’s cost of hiring a third-party technical consultant to assist with the final stages of developing a regional connectivity plan. The consultant will validate the existing broadband services and infrastructure, the proposed connectivity solution(s) and the estimated costs to help the region achieve their goals and objectives. The applicant is expected to work with local internet service providers to validate existing services including speeds and capacity in the region.

General Conditions:

• •Eligible applicants can apply for up to 75% of eligible project costs to a maximum of $15,000 perRegional Connectivity Plan
• •Pooling of Regional Connectivity Plan Funding applications and funds towards a single plan is notallowed; however, applicants may access additional funding sources to cover the costs of theirregional connectivity plan
• •Third-party consultants must have related telecommunication experience and a professionaldesignation i.e. PEng or CMC
• •Approved Regional Connectivity Plans must be completed by March 31, 2022

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