Local rural communities will be getting access to high-speed internet thanks to an $82 million multi-year project.
The project is a result of Columbia Basin Trust and provincial and federal government funding.
The project will connect 5,429 homes across the Columbia Basin, including 12 communities in this neck of the woods.
This includes ʔaq̓am, Fort Steele, Galloway, Baynes Lake, Elko, Grasmere, Ta Ta Creek, Wardner, Roosville, Tobacco Plains, Meadowbrook and Skookumchuck.
“The Internet is an essential service for all of society, but unfortunately, we still have areas of the Columbia Basin that do not have access to the same level of high-speed connectivity and reliability as more populated communities,” said Johnny Strilaeff, President and CEO, Columbia Basin Trust in a release.
“The Trust is pleased to partner in addressing this gap and in helping bring fibre optic infrastructure to over 5,400 rural households across the Basin.”
The project is expected to be completed by March 2027.