Province to upgrade broadband access with $4.6-M investment

The provincial government announced Wednesday it willinvest$4.6million to expand broadband internet access acrossNewfoundland and Labrador.

• Which communities will benefit? Read the list here

The government will work with four companies to expand coverage to another 102 communities.

According to a statement from Innovation Minister Susan Sullivan, the investment will make high-speed internet available to 5,086 more households across the province.

"We are committed to advancing broadband access to communities and businesses throughout the province and I am proud that once these projects are complete, we will have 98 per cent of the population covered," Sullivan said in a statement.

People in more rural areas of the province have expressed frustration for years about the slowness and inconvenience of dial-up internet.

"We understand the importance, particularly in terms of health care, in terms of education, in terms of economic development through all of our communities," said Sullivan.

"We understand the importance of broadband. We committed to it some 10 years ago and we're now at that very last mile."

She saidlocal businesses will be able to expand online with better access to the internet, notingfaster service makes all the difference for companies.

With this latest investment, the province will have spent $34million over the last decade to expand broadband internet access in rural and more remote areas of the province.