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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The federal government is pumping nearly $15 million into the further development of satellite broadband Internet service for 31 remote communities in the NWT.

Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism) Diane Ablonczy announced last week that the NWT will receive almost $15 million in federal funding to develop its broadband Internet capacity. - Guy Quenneville/NNSL photo

Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism) Diane Ablonczy announced the news in Yellowknife Friday, accompanied by Darrell Beaulieu, president and CEO of Falcon Communications GP Ltd., which last year set up satellite stations in 30 Northern communities that had previously relied on dial-up service.

That project was funded jointly by the federal government, which contributed $12 million, and Falcon, which put in $2.7 million.

The new funding will make Internet browsing faster throughout the NWT, said Ablonczy.

"For Northern communities, broadband is not simply a nice-to-have technology; it's a need-to-have and a fundamental requirement," she said. "Currently, connections in the North are slower than most of the rest of Canada, due to the limited bandwidth capacity and the high number of subscribers."

The new funding which should translate to faster speeds in the next few months will hopefully encourage more people to get connected, added Ablonczy.

"Smaller and remote sectors need broadband technology to facilitate access to government and health services, jobs, business opportunities, distance learning and training," she said.

Beaulieu responded warmly to Ablonczy's announcement.

"We're looking forward to seeing it implemented as soon as possible," he said. "Especially in our smaller communities, we have been enjoying high speed Internet. We'd like to see the continuing development of that."