**PSA: the PEI Broadband Fund covers part of your Starlink install — but you have to apply BEFORE you buy anything**

**PSA: the PEI Broadband Fund covers part of your Starlink install — but you have to apply BEFORE you buy anything**

Disclosure up front: I run a handyman business here, and Starlink setups are part of what I do, so I'm not a neutral party. But I keep running into people who found out about this too late, and it's costing them real money, so I figured it was worth a post.

Quick version of how the PEI Broadband Fund for Residents works:

- If your civic address can't get 50 Mbps down / 10 Mbps up, you may qualify

- Approved applicants can get up to $1,000 total

- That includes up to $350 (HST included) toward installation by a registered business

- **You have to be pre-approved before any work starts or any equipment is purchased**

That last one is the killer. I've had a few people call me after they'd already ordered the kit from the Starlink site, and by then they're out of luck on the hardware portion. Apply first, then buy, then book whoever you're going to book.

A couple of other things worth knowing:

- In-home gear isn't covered. Routers, Wi-Fi boosters, mesh nodes — all out of pocket. Only the stuff that gets you connected qualifies.

- The fund runs on budget availability, so it's not guaranteed to be open forever.

- Program criteria were revised in June 2025, so if you looked into this a couple of years back, the rules may not be what you remember.

Official info is on princeedwardisland.ca under Innovation PEI — search "PEI Broadband Fund for Residents." Don't take my numbers as gospel; confirm them there, they can change.

Happy to answer questions about the install side of things