Province Funds Innovative Approach to Deliver High-Speed Internet Access Across Northumberland by End of 2024.

Pete Fisher
2 years ago
• Categories: Editor Choice, Local

Ontario partners with the federal government to invest $45 million in joint funding for new model to deliver reliable high-speed internet to all households and businesses.

On April 29, 2022, David Piccini, MPP for Northumberland-Peterborough South, was joined by Bob Crate, Warden of Northumberland County, as he announced $45,000,000 in joint federal and provincial funding towards an innovative new initiative to deliver high-speed internet access to all households and businesses across Northumberland by the end of 2024, in partnership with Northumberland County and private sector partners.

Providing high-speed internet services across Northumberland’s hilly landscape and dispersed population is complex. Northumberland County has developed an innovative approach designed to meet the growing high-speed internet needs of residents, businesses, and public services. This approach brings together significant public funding and private capital investment to create a utility. This private sector-led utility will design and build a local fibre-to-the-home telecommunications network and then – over time – provide open, wholesale access to this network to Internet Service Providers (ISPs). ISPs will use this network to deliver high-speed internet services to Northumberland residents and businesses. The network will be designed to deliver a minimum internet speed of 1 Gigabit per second (1 Gbps).

“In this day and age, a quick and reliable internet connection isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity,” said MPP Piccini. “I’m thrilled that our government is investing $20 million, getting it done for Northumberland by delivering better and faster internet for everyone in our community.”

The funding announced today builds upon an existing relationship between Ontario and Canada. Both governments announced on July 29, 2021, their partnership to support large-scale, fibre-based projects that will provide high-speed Internet access to more than 280,000 rural and remote households across the province. This historic agreement was made possible by a joint federal-provincial investment totalling more than $1.2 billion.

“Residents and businesses have communicated that closing the gaps in internet connectivity in Northumberland must be a priority for all levels of government,” said Warden Crate. “Northumberland County is therefore proud to be introducing an innovative approach to expand high-speed internet across our community by the end of 2024. We thank the provincial and federal governments for the significant investments announced today, which will make this initiative possible. We look forward to working with our public and private sector partners to improve local connectivity.”

“The Ontario government is ensuring every community across the province has access to reliable high-speed Internet by the end of 2025. By working together with our federal partners and Internet service providers, we are increasing access to high-speed Internet and building a stronger foundation for Ontario’s economic growth and prosperity” said the Honourable Kinga Surma, Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure. “We are ensuring that the agriculture sector and all families, workers and businesses have a better and brighter future. No one will be left behind.”

This announcement builds on the Government of Canada’s progress toward ensuring that 98 per cent of Canadians have access to high-speed Internet by 2026, and 100 per cent by 2030. The announcement also brings the Government of Ontario one step closer to achieving its goal of bringing reliable high-speed Internet access to every region of the province by the end of 2025. As we work to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic and grow the economy, the federal and provincial governments will continue to make investments in infrastructure to build strong communities and a more competitive and resilient Ontario and Canada for everyone.

QUICK FACTS

• Canada’s Connectivity Strategy aims to provide all Canadians with access to Internet speeds of at least 50 megabits per second (Mbps) download / 10 Mbps upload.
• The Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) is a $2.75 billion investment by the Government of Canada designed to help connect 98 per cent of Canadians to high-speed Internet by 2026 and achieve the national target of 100 per cent connectivity by 2030. Only the hardest-to-reach households may take until 2030 to connect.
• On July 29, 2021, a Canada-Ontario broadband partnership was announced. This agreement will bring high-speed internet access to more than 280,000 households across Ontario with a total investment of more than $1.2 billion, co-funded equally by both levels of government.