Northwestel, the internet provider to most northern residents, says it has asked the federal regulator for permission to temporarily waive customers’ overage fees.

Announcing it had submitted an “urgent application” to regulator the CRTC, Northwestel said the planned changes would waive overage fees for most northern residential users.

“Northwestel has proposed waiving any overage charges for customers exceeding their internet usage caps during March and April in terrestrially-served communities (most communities in Yukon, NWT, northern Alberta and northern BC),” read a statement issued by the company on Monday.

“Northwestel has already began augmenting capacity to accommodate the expected increase in usage on its terrestrial network.”

In satellite-served communities, Northwestel said the technology did not exist to quickly increase capacity but the company instead proposes “temporarily doubling internet usage caps.”

The NWT communities on satellite are Colville Lake, Gamètì, Łutselkʼe, Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, Sambaa K’e, Ulukhaktok, and Wekweètì.

Northwestel said it had also “proposed to create a new unlimited option in cable communities, to come into effect in May once the waiver of internet usage overage fees expires.”

The company said the proposed changes can only take effect with the CRTC’s approval as all of its packages are federally regulated.