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Telecom Order CRTC 2024-45

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Reference: 2022-87

Ottawa, 29 February 2024

Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372

Broadband Fund – Change request – ATG Arrow Technology Group Limited Partnership’s access project in Alberta (Fox Lake)

Summary

Canadians need reliable, affordable, and high-quality Internet and cellphone services for every part of their daily lives.

Through its Broadband Fund, the Commission contributes to a broad effort by federal, provincial, and territorial governments to address the gap in connectivity in underserved Indigenous, rural, and remote communities across Canada.

With this order, the Commission approves ATG Arrow Technology Group Limited Partnership’s request for additional funding for a previously approved project to improve the broadband Internet access services available to eligible areas in Fox Lake, Alberta (Little Red River Cree Nation).

Change request

  1. In Telecom Decision 2022-87, the Commission approved ATG Arrow Technology Group Limited Partnership’s (Arrow) funding application to improve the broadband Internet access services available to eligible areas in Fox Lake, Alberta (Little Red River Cree Nation). The Commission later received written acceptance of this funding award from Arrow and approved Arrow’s related statement of work in Telecom Order 2022-316, subject to the conditions of funding set out in Telecom Decision 2022-81.
  2. Among the conditions of funding is the requirement, set out at paragraph 28 of Telecom Decision 2022-81, that any changes that materially affect the project to be delivered be approved by the Commission. A change in the proposed financing of a project, or a major change in the cost of a project, qualifies as a material change based on the Commission’s definition in the Application Guide, which is appended to Telecom Notice of Consultation 2019-372. That notice initiated the second call for applications that led to the initial approval in Telecom Decision 2022-87.
  3. On 26 October 2023, Arrow submitted a change request for its project approved in Telecom Decision 2022-87.
  4. Specifically, Arrow requested additional funding due to inflation and a general increase in costs from 2020, when the original estimates were submitted in the application. Additionally, Arrow submitted that a major wildfire within the Fox Lake region caused an increase in costs due to equipment remobilization, relocated homes, and design changes. Arrow requested an increase of $2,929,678 (45.6%), bringing the funding amount from $6,419,945 to $9,349,623.

Commission’s analysis

  1. The Commission has reviewed the materials submitted and considers that approving the change request would satisfy the objectives of Telecom Regulatory Policy 2018-377.
  2. The Commission therefore approves Arrow’s change request for the access project serving the community of Fox Lake. All funding conditions and conditions imposed under section 24 of the Telecommunications Act, as set out in Telecom Decision 2022-81, continue to apply.

Secretary General

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