How CanAm Became an Expert in EB-5 Rural Broadband Investment
Over the last few years, rural broadband has become one of the most active areas for EB-5 investment. CanAm has been a leader in that growth. In this video, Christine Chen, CanAm’s Chief Operating Officer, explains how we got here and what we’ve learned along the way.
Built on a History of Public-Private Partnership
CanAm’s EB-5 work began in Philadelphia, where we partnered with the local economic development agency to fund major public projects, including the convention center and the city’s mass transit system. Pairing EB-5 capital with government financing has always been central to how we invest. For the next two decades, that approach drove our urban projects in Philadelphia, New York, and California.
A Pivot to Rural America
When the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 created new incentives for rural investment, CanAm moved into a new area while keeping the same integrity and conservative investment approach. Broadband stood out. Federal and state programs were already investing hundreds of millions of dollars to bring fiber optic internet to underserved rural communities. That made EB-5 capital a natural fit alongside private equity funds and government incentives.
Protecting Investor Capital in Every Deal
With nearly ten rural broadband investments completed and more than $500 million raised, CanAm has learned how to protect EB-5 capital in different deal structures:
- Large projects: We position EB-5 capital carefully alongside major private equity funds and bank lenders.
- Smaller operators: When a project has strong state funding but a smaller sponsor, we add protections such as deposit accounts and extra covenants.
Investment That Makes a Difference
Reliable, high-speed internet helps rural communities compete and grow. As Christine says, this is where EB-5 capital is “doing really good things. It’s just doing it the right way.”
Want to learn more about CanAm’s rural broadband projects? Contact our team or explore our current EB-5 projects.
