Connexion Fibre Picanoc (CFP) is a non-profit corporation created by two regional municipalities and two school boards in Western Quebec.
It manages and operates a fibre optic communication network of approximately 500 km in scope.
CFP has ambitious plans to connect all households in the MRC Pontiac and MRC Vallée-de-la-Gatineau to High-Speed Internet.
The consortium is making an application valued at 40 million dollars to the Broadband Fund administered by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
Quebec’s Ministry of Economy and Innovation (MEI) would administer half of the funds.
The project, announced June 1st (Monday) plans to deploy close to 3,000 km of fibre, connecting almost 6800 residences in more than 35 municipalities, and one First Nation.
CFP’s plan is to boost connectivity to 50 mB/s for downloads and 10 mB/s for uploading on its lines-which private cellular companies could then piggyback on.
High speed internet and improved cellular coverage are key to giving Western Quebec communities a competitive foothold in the 21st Century.