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Broadband Fund Review
Closing the digital divide in Canada

The Broadband Fund was created to improve Internet and cellphone services in rural, remote, and Indigenous areas across Canada. In 2023, the CRTC launched a review of the Broadband Fund to improve the speed and efficiency of the funding process, help advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, and increase Canadians’ access to high-speed Internet and cellphone services.

The CRTC is conducting the policy review in phases. While these phases are ongoing, the CRTC will launch a separate process to develop an Indigenous stream under the Broadband Fund in collaboration with Indigenous groups and communities.

Objectives of the policy review:

Improving speed and efficiency

The CRTC is making changes to the application and evaluation processes, the evaluation criteria, and the funding process.

These improvements include:

  • removing or simplifying evaluation criteria;
  • reducing the amount of information that applicants must submit; and
  • simplifying reporting processes to make reporting easier for funding recipients.

These changes will make it easier and faster for applicants to apply for and obtain funding. The CRTC will continue to provide timely feedback to unsuccessful applicants.

Helping to advance reconciliation

The CRTC is making changes to the Broadband Fund to better support Indigenous applicants, communities, and Indigenous-led projects.

These improvements include:

  • reducing barriers for Indigenous applicants;
  • requiring all applicants to engage meaningfully with Indigenous communities; and
  • requiring applicants to provide proof of consent from any Indigenous community where they plan to build infrastructure.

In addition, the CRTC is adopting new measures to support Indigenous applicants and funding recipients, including:

  • providing upfront funding of up to 15% (capped at $750,000) to help address financial barriers;
  • funding up to two years of technical training to build skills and support Indigenous-owned networks;
  • exempting Indigenous funding recipients from retail and wholesale access requirements; and
  • exempting Indigenous funding recipients from the 10% holdback for projects with less than $5 million in funding.

Increasing access for all Canadians

The CRTC is improving the geographic models used to identify eligible areas and refining the types of projects that are eligible for funding. These improvements will allow applicants to target remaining underserved areas, and help connect Canadians faster to high-speed Internet and cellphone services.

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