In July the governments of Canada and Ontario announced they are committing $1.2B in funding to support projects that provide high-speed internet access across the province. The commitment to providing 100% coverage by 2025 is welcome news to the estimated 700,000 households and businesses in rural areas have limited or no internet access. This has become an especially important infrastructure priority in light of the education and work limitations caused by COVID-19 pandemic. (news.ontario.ca)
In the US, the White House Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is prioritizing High-Speed Internet. The updated fact sheet notes that millions of Americans live in areas where there is no broadband infrastructure that provides minimally acceptable speeds. The US plans to provide $65 billion in investment to help ensure every American has access to reliable high-speed internet at affordable prices. (whitehouse.gov/briefing-room)
Broadband infrastructure is a mix of cables above and below ground, cell towers for wireless systems, satellites, fiber lines, and more. Invariably, some portion of cables can be below-ground and out of sight, so as Broadband reach expands, so will the need for utility investigations and utility record development. T2 Utility Engineers has experience in providing subsurface investigations for broadband project development in accordance with industry Standard ASCE 38, and utility record development in accordance with ASCE 75 (now in public comment stage). Having reliable knowledge about what utilities are in the ground keeps projects on schedule and budget; developing a good record makes operation and maintenance and future planning more efficient. We have 3 offices in Ontario to support expansion projects and 24 across the US.
Updated Broadband Federal funding information 2022 - https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/resources/federal/federal-funding