Telecom - Staff Letter addressed to the Distribution List
Ottawa, 19 February 2024
Reference(s): 1011-NOC2023-0089
BY EMAIL
Distribution list
Subject: Broadband Fund policy review, Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-89, Changes to procedure
On 23 March 2023, the Commission launched Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-89, Broadband Fund policy review (the Policy Review) to improve its Broadband Fund. The Broadband Fund helps connect underserved Indigenous communities as well as rural, and remote communities across Canada with access to high-speed Internet and cell phone services. It is part of a broad effort by federal, provincial, and territorial governments to address gaps in connectivity across Canada.
The Policy Review aims to make the application process faster and easier, broaden the type of funding available, and advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples through changes that support Indigenous applicants and Indigenous communities.
This letter outlines the next steps for the Policy Review. Specifically, the Commission is notifying interested parties that the Policy Review will advance in two phases. A policy decision will be issued at the end of each phase. This will ensure that all applicants can benefit from improvements to the Broadband Fund as quickly as possible:
- Phase 1 will address issues relating to the existing framework for capital projects and provide the foundation for a fourth call for applications; and
- Phase 2 will consider expanding the scope of the Broadband Fund beyond the current capital funding program.
Additionally, the Commission will initiate a separate co-development process to create an Indigenous Stream in response to suggestions from many parties to the proceeding. More details on this new process will follow in an upcoming information bulletin.
Phase 1
Phase 1 will be an expedited process, which will primarily focus on improving the Commission’s current Broadband Fund framework for capital projects (projects that build or upgrade broadband and mobile wireless infrastructure in underserved areas in Canada) to make the application process faster and easier for applicants.
The Phase 1 process will consider:
- all aspects of the application, evaluation, and funding processes for capital projects;
- how to improve engagement with Indigenous Peoples and affected communities;
- whether resiliency projects should be made an eligible project type, and if so, the criteria that would be used to evaluate and select such projects; and
- whether to provide operational funding for mobile wireless projects along roads.
Through the Phase 1 policy decision, the Commission also intends to provide a short-term forecast of contribution levels to be collected.
The timeline for the Phase 1 process will be as follows:
- 23 February 2024 – Staff issues requests for information (RFIs) to parties to develop the record on issues considered in Phase 1 of the proceeding.
- 22 March 2024 – Parties’ responses to RFIs.
- 9 April 2024 – Parties’ comments on RFI responses and close of record for issues considered in Phase 1 of the proceeding.
Phase 2
Phase 2 will address all remaining issues not fully addressed in the Phase 1 process, including:
- the provision of additional operational funding under the Broadband Fund;
- additional funding gaps that can be addressed through funding from the Broadband Fund; and
- a long-term forecast of contribution levels that will be collected.
The Phase 2 process will begin with RFIs after the policy decision for Phase 1 has been issued.
Consistent with paragraph 90 of Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-89, parties are encouraged to monitor the record of the proceeding for new information regarding the Policy Review.
A copy of this letter will be placed on the public record of this proceeding.
Sincerely,
Original signed by
Julie Cook
Director, Broadband Fund Regime
Telecommunications Sector
c.c.: Kevin Pickell, CRTC, Kevin.Pickell@crtc.gc.ca
Darla Kinnear, CRTC, Darla.Kinnear@crtc.gc.ca
Joyce Mackenzie, CRTC, Joyce.Mackenzie@crtc.gc.ca
Phillip Arnott, CRTC, Phillip.Arnott@crtc.gc.ca
Distribution List: All parties to TNC 2023-89
A. Johnson: sojrnrr@protonmail.com
A. Moskal: FAN143@GMAIL.COM
Access Communications Co-operative Limited: documents@myaccess.coop
Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan: bkobes@apas.ca
Alberta Rural Connectivity Coalition: imran.mohiuddin@cybera.ca
Anton van Arendonk: Tonirricana@tutamail.com
Association of Manitoba Municipalities: amm@amm.mb.ca
Bell Canada: bell.regulatory@bell.ca
Bragg Communications Inc., carrying on business as Eastlink: regulatory.matters@corp.eastlink.ca
Canadian Federation of Independent Business: jasmin.guenette@cfib.ca
Chris Creasor: ccreasor@hotmail.ca
Christian Salazar: sidebar_hectare_0q@icloud.com
Cogeco Communications Inc: leonard.eichel@cogeco.com
David Taylor: hereismyalias@duck.com
Deputy to Yves Perron in the federal electoral district of Berthier-Maskinongé: andre.beauchesne.312@parl.gc.ca
Dilan Paradis: Dparadis@nordcom.ca
Eeyou Communications Network: trishtoso@gmail.com
Elizabeth MacKenzie: liz@storm.ca
Ernest Taylor: polarissucks@gmail.com
Fabio Boninsegna: boninsegnafabio@gmail.com
Federation of Canadian Municipalities: rrizzuto@fcm.ca
First Mile Connectivity Consortium: info@firstmile.ca
First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun: adrienne.hill@nndfn.com
First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun: Lisa@badenhorst.ca
Francis Carriere: francis.pj.carriere@gmail.com
Frank Neitzert: phranque_n@outlook.com
Government of the Northwest Territories: dave_heffernan@gov.nt.ca
Government of the Northwest Territories: telecom_reg@gov.nt.ca
Great Northern Wireless Inc.: jm@micsystems.ca
Indigenous Connectivity Institute: phil@connecthumanity.fund
Infrastructure Ontario: gord.reynolds@infrastructureontario.ca
Jacob Shaw: jacobshaw99@hotmail.com
James Trevail: jtrevail@gmail.com
Jen Kightley: Jen.Kightley@yahoo.com
Jocelyn Mallett: jocelyngm@rogers.com
Joey MacPhee: joeymacphee1@gmail.com
Leepfrog Telecom: gchriss@leepfrogtelecom.com
Lora Danielson: loralynn81@gmail.com
Marie-Josee Roy: mariejo458@gmail.com
Matthew Storms: majf.storms@gmail.com
Mattthew Lawrence: matt@bungee.ca
Michael James: michaelbyrnes2022@gmail.com
National Capital FreeNet: execdir@ncf.ca
Northern Sunrise County: lflorence@northernsunrise.net
Ontario Federation of Agriculture: peter.sykanda@ofa.on.ca
Pawel Wojciechowski: pawcio198012@gmail.com
Province of British Columbia: telecom@gov.bc.ca
Public Interest Advocacy Centre: jlawford@piac.ca
Quebecor Media inc.: regaffairs@quebecor.com
Rogers Communications Canada Inc: regulatory@rci.rogers.com
Rural Municipalities of Alberta: karrina@rmalberta.com
Sarah Reaume: csreaume@gmail.com
Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities: dnichols@sarm.ca
Saskatchewan Telecommunications (SaskTel): document.control@sasktel.com
Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission: james.lokken@saskwheat.ca
SaskCanola: d.leftwich@saskcanola.com
Spirit Mobile Inc.: christian@spiritmobile.ca
SSi Micro Ltd., dba SSi Canada: regulatory@ssicanada.com
Stéphane Simard: scote@ent-ssimard.com
Steven Lindsay: pearadisesails@gmail.com
Suzanne Olson: Hazelsuzolson@aol.vom
TELUS Communications Inc.: karen.cheung@telus.com
TERAGO: dvucinic@terago.ca
The City of Calgary: monique.nesset@calgary.ca
The Coalition: jonathan.holmes@itpa.ca
Viasat: jarrett.taubman@viasat.com
Wesley Dyas: wescdyas@gmail.com
Xplore Inc.: cindy.wallace@xplore.ca
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