Universal Broadband Fund — Rapid Response Stream

• The applicant must be one of the following: a not-for-profit organization, a for-profit corporation incorporated in Canada, a Canadian provincial, territorial or municipal entity, a Band Council, an Indigenous government authority, a non-federal public sector body, or a partnership of these entities.
• The applicant or its partners must demonstrate the capacity and expertise to develop and deploy broadband networks within the program’s tight timelines.
• The project must target rural or remote areas that do not already have Internet service speeds of at least 50/10 Mbps, as identified in the National Broadband Internet Service Availability Map.
• The project must be “shovel-ready” and capable of being deployed quickly, with key resources, permits, infrastructure access, and dependencies already secured or imminently obtainable.
• Organizations seeking funding must show that they cannot deploy new broadband projects in the short term, or scale up ongoing projects, without public funding support.

Who is eligible?

• Not-for-profit organizations
• For-profit corporations incorporated in Canada
• Canadian provincial, territorial or municipal entities
• Band Councils and Indigenous government authorities
• Non-federal public sector bodies

Who is not eligible

There are specific types of companies that are not eligible for this grant. The following entities are not eligible:

• Individuals
• Foreign entities

Eligible expenses

• Customer premises equipment required to make high-speed Internet access available to households (for example, satellite terminals).

Eligible geographic areas

• Organizations located anywhere in Canada, including all provinces and territories, as this is a federal program administered by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.
• Projects serving rural and remote areas of Canada where Internet service speeds have not yet reached 50/10 Mbps, as identified on the National Broadband Internet Service Availability Map.

• Completeness and strength of the application (all required documents provided and clear, with solid justifications and information).
• Timeliness and readiness of the project (ability to deploy quickly, shovel‑ready status, secured materials, human resources, permits, spectrum licences and access to third‑party infrastructure where needed).
• Coverage and service quality (focus on households currently below 50/10 Mbps and plans to deliver at least 50/10 Mbps with ambitious deployment schedules).
• Organizational capacity and track record (managerial, financial and technical expertise, and demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and manage similar projects without major issues).
• Financial viability and funding structure (remaining necessary funding largely secured and realistic budget to complete the project).

• The Rapid Response Stream is now closed and is no longer accepting applications; the intake period ended on January 15, 2021.
• The stream was created to address urgent connectivity needs arising from the COVID‑19 pandemic by increasing household access to adequate Internet services.
• Applications were assessed on a rapid, rolling basis, meaning earlier, complete submissions had a higher likelihood of being selected.
• Reasonable efforts were made to ensure regional diversity and to make funding available to Indigenous communities, depending on the applications received.