The Quebec government launched Operation High-Speed in 2021 through the Secretariat for High-Speed Internet and Special Connectivity Projects, with a promise to provide high-speed internet connections to households in regions where access to such services had previously not been possible.
The government is insisting on providing Quebecers with access to service meeting a minimum download speed of 50 megabits per second (Mbps) and 10 Mbps upload speed, with unlimited data transfer capacity. Fiber optics are the preferred choice for the government in terms of high-speed internet delivery; however, the deployment of this technology has proven exceptionally difficult in some regions, including at numerous Valley addresses, due mainly to distance and topography.
An interactive map was launched allowing residents to check on deployment status updates and a timeline for availability of internet services by specific suppliers. The map, which was produced in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, shows several municipalities are now in the final stages of complete coverage, where at least 95 per cent of homes have access to a high-speed connection. These municipalities include Hemmingford Village, Saint-Chrysostome, Très-Saint-Sacrement, Howick, Sainte-Barbe, Saint-Anicet, Huntingdon, and Dundee. The remaining municipalities are currently listed as “in progress,” where over five per cent of homes still do not have access to a connection, but soon will.
On May 9, the government announced an agreement with SpaceX Canada to deploy subsidized Starlink high-speed satellite internet services to approximately 10,000 hard-to-reach homes, of which many are in the region. Information about accessing the Starlink service was mailed over the past few weeks to targeted homes now listed as “in progress” on the map. The SpaceX Canada agreement will allow these households access to a preferential rate topped up by the government.
To check the deployment status of a residential address via the interactive map, visit:
https://bit.ly/3BXOqxv. (SR)