This project is designed to increase rural/remote broadband speed for households and businesses in select communities in the Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD).
The CVRD’s plan includes a technology assessment of the connectivity gaps in the region, a community consultation process to identify needs and wants, an inventory of current connectivity infrastructure, and roster of technology and network solutions with associated cost estimates. Once completed the strategy will provide a roadmap to guide the build-out of the digital landscapes and the securing of last-mile infrastructure funding.
Broadband infrastructure improvements are fundamental to narrowing the digital divide and ensuring all citizens can realize the full range of benefits that connectivity has to offer. They also boost the ability of communities to attract and retain employees, remote workers, and community members.
Island Coastal Economic Trust approved funding for this project in 2021 through the Investment Readiness program.
We work in reciprocal relationships with coastal communities across the ancestral territories of the Kwak̓wala, Nuučaan̓uɫ, Éy7á7juuthem, Ligwilda'xw, Pəntl'áč, She shashishalhem, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Hul’q’umi’num’, diitiidʔaatx̣, SENĆOŦEN, Lekwungen, and T’Sou-ke speaking peoples.