Funding OK'd for rural broadband internet

The federal government plans to expand broadband internet access to several rural and remote locations across the country, Industry Minister Tony Clement announced Sunday.

Fifty-two projects are "conditionally approved" to receive funding of $76.7 million, Clement told reporters in Mississauga, Ont.

The money for Broadband Canada: Connecting Rural Canadians will come from the government's Economic Action Plan, which is designed to stimulate the economy.

"We will bring the power of broadband internet access to 169,000 Canadian households in nine Canadian provinces and territories," Clement said.

The communities affected are in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Other locations are in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

It's estimated 22 per cent of rural households are without broadband internet connections, which allow for high-speed downloading of digital information, such as video and audio.