Mr. Speaker, the universal broadband fund, or UBF, is the single largest federal investment in broadband in Canada’s history. With budget 2021, the government has brought the total funding for the UBF to $2.75 billion to help ensure that 98% of Canadians will be connected by 2026, and all Canadians by 2030, including those living on Pelee Island.
The UBF launched in November 2020, and received more than 1,900 applications. The first announcement under the rapid response stream of the UBF was made in December 2021. Since then, the Government of Canada has announced projects and partnerships that will connect over 900,000 households with $2 billion in funding. More announcements under the UBF are made regularly.
The Government of Ontario is making significant efforts to expand high-speed Internet and mobile wireless infrastructure under Ontario Connects, with the goal of connecting all Ontarians by the end of 2025. On July 29, 2021, a federal-provincial co-funding agreement was announced to bring high-speed Internet to nearly 280,000 rural Ontario households in hundreds of communities across the province. This agreement is made possible by an equal federal-provincial investment totalling more than $1.2 billion.
In the coming months, additional project details will be announced about funding recipients, communities served and the number of households that will benefit from each of the projects under the Canada-Ontario broadband partnership. Negotiations are well under way with all selected project recipients and will be made public when finalized.
Funding under the Canada-Ontario broadband partnership will be provided by both levels of government directly to the funding recipient.