CRTC backs $271.9M for Nunavut fibre optic connection
Funding aims to connect 4 communities to Nunavik’s fibre network; one commissioner dissents citing lack of consultation
The CRTC has conditionally approved funding to connect Iqaluit (pictured here), Kinngait, Coral Harbour and Kimmirut to Nunavik’s fibre optic internet network. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)
The CRTC says it has conditionally approved a quarter of a billion dollars funding request from the Government of Nunavut to connect four communities to Nunavik’s fibre optic internet network.
The announcement came Thursday afternoon in a 32-page decision written by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.
It said it is approving funding of up to $271.9 million for the GN to build a 1,300-kilometre fibre connection to Iqaluit, Kinngait, Kimmirut and Coral Harbour.
The money comes from the CRTC’s Broadband Fund, which supports improving connectivity in remote and rural parts of Canada.
“The GN’s project received significant support from the four communities that will be served by the fibre connection, including the local hunters and trappers organizations, the regional Inuit associations, elected representatives from the hamlets, and many local businesses,” the decision reads.
The CRTC said additional consultations will take place through the Nunavut Land Planning Commission and the Nunavut Impact Review Board.
It said the funding is awarded to the GN “with the condition that the applicant provides evidence” of support from Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.
“This major project will connect one of the most remote regions of our country to fibre internet,” said Vicky Eatrides, the CRTC’s chairperson and CEO, in a news release.
“This will have a significant impact in four communities, connecting over 80 public institutions including schools, health-care centres, and community learning centres.”
This announcement from the CRTC comes months after Community and Government Services Minister David Joanasie said in the legislative assembly the GN was seeking federal funding to pursue a fibre connection between the four communities and Nunavik.
Kativik Regional Government is in the midst of a project to connect all 14 northern villages to the new underwater Tamaani high-speed network. Currently, seven communities along the Hudson coast, from Kuujjuaraapik to Salluit, are connected.
In March, Dan Pellerin, a special adviser for telecommunications with KRG, told Nunatsiaq News that workers left cable underwater near Salluit so the GN could connect the Nunavik network if it chooses to do so.
In a written statement, Joanasie said the GN is “grateful” for the CRTC’s support. However, the GN is in a 10-day review period, which started Thursday, to “review the information” from the decision and assess the next steps.
“Once this review period is completed, we will share more details publicly regarding the outcome of these discussions,” Joanasie said.
“Pending necessary approvals, this funding will enable Nunavut to prioritize investments in capital resources and other infrastructure priorities in the territory.”
The CRTC’s decision also included a dissenting opinion from Claire Anderson, one of the CRTC’s commissioners.
Anderson identified a lack of prior consultation and public support from NTI before issuing this decision.
“I would have required that we or the GN consult with NTI before issuing the decision to approve the GN’s project, as this is clearly the approach more in line with Nunavut Inuit’s rights under the constitution and the UN Declaration [on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples],” Anderson said.
“Any time we look at whether our decisions advance reconciliation, we must consider the concerns and interests of Indigenous representatives, which was not fully contemplated by the majority in this decision.”
271 Million for internet and how much for housing?
According to their website the CRTC broadband fund will support projects to build or upgrade access and transport infrastructure to provide fixed and mobile wireless broadband Internet access services in eligible underserved areas across Canada.
So they only fund the broadband & wireless projects but it appears the GN is implying this specific funding allows them to redirect some other funds toward infrastructure projects.
https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/internet/internet.htm
This money is not available for housing, it’s specific to telecommunications through CRTC. Use your poor internet connection to do some research….
Yes, it is specific to CRTC. But it could have not been for CRTC, and could have been used to build 417 houses.
Can you explain how?
This is from CRTC website:
Where does the money come from?
Funding does NOT come from tax revenues.
The funding comes directly from contributions made by large Canadian telecommunications service providers whose total annual Canadian revenues are $10 million or greater.
You have hundreds of millions sitting with nhc and given to ncc but no one is driving any nails. Money ain’t the answer, talking ain’t the answer someone has to actually do the work.
To be a normal city in the world today, we need fast reliable internet. Why is it housing comes up in every conversation, for god sakes people, buy your own house and stop trying to get everything for free.
All those satellites and infrastructure in place for communication already and we’re wasting time, energy and funds on fiber optic lines to remote Nunavut. More evidence that stubborn-stupid has taken complete control of society
Satellites for internet connection are more in line with your point of “wasting time, energy and funds” than fibre-optics imo…
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/satellites-polluting-atmosphere-1.7239899
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“What goes up eventually has to come down. In the case of Starlink, these satellites have a lifespan of roughly five years, after which they’re deorbited. They then burn up in our atmosphere.
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A new study, published last week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, suggests that the particles left behind could potentially affect our ozone layer.
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‘If you have 50,000 satellites, which is a number a lot of people use, and they’re up five years, that’s 10,000 per year re-entering. That’s more than one an hour.’ – Daniel Murphy, NOAA”
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That doesn’t seem sustainable to me, and generally if done right fibre-optic links have faster and more reliable service than what is provided by satellite.
There’s not even 10,000 satellites in orbit.
According to below article in total over 14,500 satellites have launched to date and as of June 2024, there are 6,219 Starlink satellites in orbit, of which 6,146 are working.
A Starlink satellite has a lifespan of approximately five years and SpaceX eventually hopes to have as many as 42,000 satellites in this so-called mega constellation.
https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-satellites.html
I am not going to copy and paste the whole article for you. That part was mentioned just before the initial quote I provided. Please read it, it’s an interesting article.
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“There are an estimated 11,500 tonnes of space objects orbiting Earth, which would include even the smallest pieces around one millimetre in size (likely satellite collisions). But there are far larger objects in space, including spent rocket stages and upwards of 9,000 functioning satellites. More than half of them are SpaceX Starlinks, which provide internet services.
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As of publication, there are roughly 5,200 Starlink satellites, but SpaceX has plans to put up upwards of 42,000.”
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SpaceX does not yet have 10,000 in orbit, but they are planning on having more than that in orbit – that is what would result in 10,000 re-entering per year.
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It would have taken less effort for you to click the link and read, than it did to write a comment…
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Either way, the point is it seems much more foolish to keep paying for satellites to provide lesser-quality service for a few years, instead of terrestrial connection with more of a lifespan and more reliable quality. I can’t imagine the cost/benefit to be worth it.
Telecom satellites are extremely reliable and efficient. They are used for critical communication every second of every day – by military, shipping, trucking, and remote civilian users around the globe.
Any of many existing satellites can be tapped to service all of Nunavut with internet. Arguing nonsense about ozone layers and satellite litter is school-boyish. Also, there are less than 10,000 satellites in space currently serving global communication needs.
Starlink is the better, more reliable technology. Why spend 271.9M on fibre optic when we have more pressing issues like housing, education, need for quality health services in remote Nunavut communities?
Please, please finally approve this. Satelites pollute the skies and fall down (and not everyone up here can get one), qiniq and Northwestel fight for who can offer the most worthless discounts, and the airlines gouge a fortune because they can.
Please finally give us the internet needed to game when bored, research when needed, and be connected to the rest of Canada, at least digitally.
Why so many dislikes? Any apartment up here can’t get starlink, qiniq and northwestel do charge us a lot for very little, etc?
We need enough to at least be able to do online learning and stuff (Actually takes more internet than gaming, btw)
You may be right from a member of public point of view when you look at your $160 bill. Businesses and Government are probably charged at a much higher rate and when they factor in a fibre life-cycle cost, they may find it cheaper overall.
CRTC says they agreed this spending is necessary and cannot be done locally, meaning they are approving $271M on this. There are other factors as to why a federal entity may invest in North and national security could well play into that.