Broadband Fund
Third call for applications

Eligibility criteria

Eligible projects included:

• transport infrastructure projects: a project that introduces or upgrades transport network capacity to one or more points of presence in underserved communities;
• mobile wireless infrastructure projects: a project that builds or upgrades mobile connectivity to serve part of a major transportation road; and/or
• projects requiring operational funding: to increase satellite transport capacity and to improve broadband Internet access service in satellite-dependent communities.

Eligible applicants included:

• Canadian corporations of all sizes;
• provincial, territorial, and municipal government organizations; and
• band councils or Indigenous governments.

Applicants must:

• be eligible to operate as a Canadian carrier;
• be financially solvent and reliable; and
• have experience both deploying and operating broadband infrastructure related to the proposed project type(s) in Canada for a minimum of three years (i.e. transport infrastructure for a transport project, or mobile infrastructure for a mobile wireless project).

Applicants could also apply as a partnership, joint venture, or consortium composed of different entities.

Consultation with communities and Indigenous groups

The CRTC is placing increased emphasis, during the assessment phase, on meaningful consultation with affected communities and groups.

• The Map of Communities and Official Language Minority Communities and the Aboriginal and Treaty Rights Information System (ATRIS) can help identify which communities would be affected by proposed projects.
• Applicants had to follow the community consultation process with each community affected by their proposed project and provide the following evidence:
  • a list of communities and additional demographic details of each community affected by the project;
  • a broad overview of consultation efforts with each community, including copies of all notification letters sent to affected communities and/or groups; and
  • any responses received or any evidence demonstrating meaningful consultation.

For more information on the application process, please consult:

• Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2022-325
• The Community consultation process and Indigenous and treaty rights web page
• The Application Guide, which contains information on the eligibility and assessment criteria that will be used to evaluate applications and other important information that helped applicants complete and submit their applications for funding.
• The Instruction Manual, which contains information on preparing the documentation and the maps needed to support an application for funding. It also provides information on how to submit an application using the Online Application Form.