Opposition calls for overhaul of P.E.I.'s plan to increase high-speed internet access

A $2 million pool of government funding meant to improve access to high-speed internet in rural P.E.I. sat largely untouched last year, one of several factors prompting the Official Opposition to call for an overhaul of the province's current internet plan.

"In the world of COVID ... having adequate, workable internet in your home is now, it's not a luxury, it's an absolute necessity," said Green Leader Peter Bevan-Baker.

"I'm quite frankly absolutely fed up with government saying they're going to solve this problem, and here we are years and years later and nothing has changed."

As part of a rural internet plan announced in 2019 by the previous Liberal government, a five-year, $10-million broadband fund was set up to help local internet service providers (ISPs) improve access to high-speed internet in problem areas.

Of the $2 million available from the fund for 2019-20, only two projects worth a combined $45,214 received funding. That amounts to just over two per cent of the available funding.

"We've come to the conclusion that the broadband fund is being unutilized," said Minister of Economic Growth Matthew MacKay. 

"The criteria obviously doesn't work for local ISPs, so we're looking at changing that criteria completely."

Projects not covered, says ISP

Under the current rules, ISPs, communities and businesses can apply for funding of up to 50 per cent of project cost.

But one local ISP told CBC News it had never applied for funding because the infrastructure it needs to expand — new towers, along with reception dishes and modems for customers' homes — doesn't qualify.

Alesia Napier said her company Wicked Eh "has shovel-ready projects" and "could have easily completed three geographical expansions since March 2019, had access to the broadband fund been more accessible."

She said Wicked Eh isn't the only local ISP "struggling to gain access to this funding.… We only need to be asked and we would be willing to offer suggestions to make the fund more accessible."

3-year plan now a 5-year plan

Most of the money to expand internet access announced by the Liberals in 2019 is going to Bell and Xplornet, which are splitting $37 million in government funding, most coming from Ottawa.

When the Liberals announced the plan they said 30,000 hookups would be completed over three years, and that they were "finalizing agreements" with the two companies.

But it took a full year and a change in government before the contracts were signed, and when they were, the PCs said the plan would now take five years, not three.

"The timelines associated with that are pathetically long," said Bevan-Baker. 

"Rural Islanders — and again when I say rural Islanders, we're talking about people 10 minutes outside of Charlottetown, 20 minutes outside of Summerside — are not going to get good, reliable internet service for years to come."

Bevan-Baker said government needs to not only revamp eligibility rules for the broadband fund, but also renegotiate contracts with Bell and Xplornet to get the work done faster.

MacKay said Bell is on track to connect 5,000 additional customers this year.

A spokesperson for the company said Bell has finished work in Souris, and should complete work in Tignish and Phase 1 of Rustico within the next few weeks.

But MacKay said Xplornet — responsible for 20,000 hookups under the current plan — is still "in the engineering stages as of right now," and he didn't know when the company would begin hooking up new customers.

Even more gaps in coverage

He said government has identified even more gaps in high speed coverage as a result of increased reliance on the internet from Islanders working or studying from home during the pandemic. In some cases access is such that the province is moving those areas to the top of the priority list.

"There's different pockets all across P.E.I.," said MacKay. "The maps are being done now and we're looking to see what it looks like, how many people, and what we can do in the short term to provide service for them."

MacKay said the province is seeking additional infrastructure money from Ottawa to put up towers that could be used by local ISPs to provide coverage.

He also said a retooling of the broadband fund will open it up to homeowners in hard-to-reach areas, who could receive funding to erect small towers of their own.

"Every day I'm at my staff on internet to get this moving," said MacKay.

"For 12 years there's been promises that haven't happened. This is going to be a challenge, and I'm going to do whatever I can … to speed this up."

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