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These rural areas of Prince George will soon have faster internet connections

Salmon Valley, Pineview one of 12 communities receiving upgrades from B.C.
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Minister of Citizens' Services Jinny Sims. (via Jessica Fedigan)

Northern B.C. rural and indigenous areas have a hard time connecting to the fast-paced digital world.

This is a problem the provincial government has sought out to solve thanks to a $50 million investment in Budget 2019, and as of today (June 24), 12 more rural areas across B.C. are about to receive stronger connectivity to the internet and other digital assets.

Among the communities includes Salmon Valley and Pineview, two rural subdivisions of Prince George, as ABC Communications has agreed to help provide wireless connections and upgrades in the amount of nearly $300,000 from the Connecting British Columbia program.

This dozen-community project is costing an estimated $596,812 as per Jinny Sims, B.C.’s Minister of Citizen Services.

“The ability to access high-speed internet allows communities, especially those in rural and remote areas of B.C., to have the same social, educational and economic opportunities as those in urban centres,” said Sims in a news release. “The Connecting British Columbia program closes the digital divide between our citizens and the rest of the world, and for these more remote communities, it creates the lifeline they need in order to thrive.”

Other northern region communities benefiting from this investment are 122 Mile House, Bouchie Lake, Horsefly, rural Lac La Hache, rural Lone Butte (including Horse Lake), rural Mackenzie, rural Quesnel, and Ten Mile Lake.

The province’s Connecting British Columbia program offers internet service providers and other organizations an opportunity to apply for grants to improve high-speed internet access in rural and Indigenous communities.