May 28, 2015
The First Mile Connectivity Consortium has received new funding support for policy research on broadband infrastructure and services in rural, remote and northern Indigenous communities.
We are thrilled to announce that the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) has awarded the FMCC $30,000. These funds will be used to collect evidence to present at the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission’s forthcoming hearings on the ‘Basic Service Objective’ for telecommunications in Canada (see: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2015/2015-134.htm).
FMCC’s initiative is one of 25 projects funded in this second round of support for non-profit organizations working on Internet-related issues in Canada. To learn more about this $1 million program, and the other exciting initiatives underway, visit: http://cira.ca/news/support-ca-internet-technology-drives-transformation-canadas-not-profit-community
The FMCC’s project is outlined below:
Serving the unserved: Shaping digital policy to support community broadband with remote First Nations across Canada
Remote and rural Indigenous communities are losing out in the digital economy since they lack affordable, accessible and appropriate Internet. Given the lack of private sector incentives to build, upgrade and maintain digital infrastructure, these populations established their own non-profit broadband providers. This project will collect and mobilize evidence at a major regulatory hearing to highlight their challenges and propose a permanent fund to sustain their work.
We look forward to sharing more information with you about this project in the coming weeks,
Rob McMahon
Coordinator, First Mile Project
rob.mcmahon@unb.ca