MONTREAL — A rural internet service provider is lobbying Quebec to subsidize the building out of the province’s fibre-optic infrastructure as the government has suggested it may not renew its $136-million contract with Elon Musk-owned satellite internet company Starlink.

Ontario-based Xplore has petitioned Quebec’s finance ministry for funding to “expand residential fibre-optic network deployment in Quebec’s rural regions,” according to lobbyist registry documents. Xplore began its year-long lobbying effort on January 1, 2025. Jeffrey Edwards, Xplore’s marketing director, confirmed that the firm was speaking to the Quebec government on “an ongoing basis” to discuss improving rural internet access in the province.

In February, the Quebec government signaled that it won’t renew its three-year contract with Starlink, which is set to expire in June, in large part to foster Canadian “connectivity sovereignty,” said Quebec MNA Gilles Bélanger in February. Bélanger, who has since been named Quebec cybersecurity minister, didn’t respond to questions regarding possible replacements for Starlink.

“Our intentions for the future will be communicated in due course,” finance ministry spokesperson Claudia Loupret said of the Starlink contract. “That said, the government will not take any decision that could harm the safety of citizens.”

In 2021, Quebec launched Opération haute vitesse, a $1.3-billion initiative to connect 250,000 households to high-speed internet. Though it was the first province to ink a deal with Starlink, the Quebec government said it “prioritizes” fibre-optic infrastructure over the kind of low-Earth orbit satellite service offered by Musk’s firm and others, while acknowledging that optical fibre installation is impossible in certain regions. Notably, the lack of telephone poles has hindered fibre-optic progress in the province.

Ahead of Quebec’s impending decision, Ontario has already cancelled its $100-million contract with Starlink to provide internet service to 15,000 far-flung households in the province. Premier Doug Ford said Musk, a close Trump advisor, has fomented economic attacks against the province and the country. 

Yet the decision has laid bare the void of viable alternatives to Starlink. Xplore’s satellite service is slower, while Ottawa-based Telesat’s Starlink-style service won’t be available until at least mid-2026.

Xplore, whose majority shareholder is a New York investment firm, provides internet service via wired, land-based wireless and satellite systems. In part through Opération haute vitesse, the company has expanded its fibre coverage to more than 34,000 homes and businesses in rural Quebec, according to Edwards.