[8-27-07 – Satellite Today] The government of Canada will help fund a program to bring satellite broadband Internet service to 43 communities in the northern regions of Quebec, Manitoba and Ontario, the government announced Aug. 24.

The government will contribute 20.7 million Canadian dollars ($19.9 million), about 75 percent of the total 27.5 million Canadian dollars ($26.2 million) needed to lease two transponders, build ground stations and upgrade local access networks. The government  funding is made available through the National Satellite Initiative. The remaining 25 percent will come from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, the Government of Québec’s Villages branchés program and  Telesat Canada, which is providing transponder capacity valued at 20 million Canadian dollars ($19 million)  over 15 years.

The project is being conducted along with the Northern Indigenous Community Satellite Network (NICSN), a partnership among: the Kativik Regional Government in Quebec, the Keewatin Tribal Council in Manitoba and the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Tribal Council in Ontario.