Building The Digital Highway Through Ontario

McGuinty Government Expands Rural Broadband To Improve Prosperity

Rural Ontario is receiving more affordable, accessible and efficient broadband services.

The government is establishing a Broadband Infrastructure Fund to provide Ontario’s rural and remote families and businesses with more opportunities to connect to the world through the Internet. This will help spur innovation, attract investment and build a skilled workforce.

The infrastructure fund, totalling nearly $88 million, includes matching funds for the Government of Canada’s new national program Broadband Canada: Connecting Rural Canadians, .announced earlier today.  These funds will continue to build on the success of provincial broadband funding, bringing connectivity to rural and remote areas across Ontario.

Today, Ontario also announced its first investment from the fund, supporting the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus Regional Broadband Network. The province is investing one-third of total eligible costs, up to $55 million in a project that will enhance capacity and speed for future growth in Eastern Ontario.

Other project partners include the federal government, 13 eastern municipalities and private industry.

QUOTES

“We need to provide access to high speed internet in our rural communities so they can compete on a level playing field both nationally and internationally.”
 – Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

“Faster, more reliable Internet access will not only stimulate the economy of eastern Ontario, but also serve as a catalyst for doing business better, right across the province.”
– Harinder S. Takhar, Minister of Government Services

QUICK FACTS

• Since 2007, the provincial government has invested $70 million to increase connectivity in rural areas in both southern and northern Ontario.
• Broadband is defined as a high-capacity link between end users and access network suppliers at a minimum download speed of 1.5 megabits per second.
• Broadband combines telecommunications infrastructure and service to deliver more Internet information at speeds far greater than dial-up service. 
  

   

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About Digital Ontario

Backgrounder

Provincial Broadband Funding

Ontario continues to provide access to affordable, accessible and efficient broadband services through a number of initiatives.

These are supported by inter-ministerial partnerships between the Ministries of Government Services, Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Economic Development and Trade, and Northern Development, Mines and Forestry. 

Most recently, on July 30, 2009, Ontario committed to nearly $88 million in provincial broadband infrastructure funding for two programs being cost-shared with the federal governments:

• Building Canada Fund – Major Infrastructure Component
  The province will provide up to one-third of total eligible project costs up to $55 million for the Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus Inc. Regional Broadband Network Proposal
 
• Broadband Canada: Connecting Rural Canadians program
  The province will provide up to one-third of total eligible project costs up to $32.75 million for identified broadband projects across Ontario.

Since 2007, Ontario has committed $70 million to upgrade or build broadband infrastructure in rural and remote communities in southern and northern Ontario. This has significantly improved access for Ontario businesses and citizens across the province.

• $30 million was committed to expand broadband and cellular services to remote areas of northern Ontario, through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry broadband initiative.

• $10 million was also invested to expand broadband coverage in rural southern Ontario through Rural Connections. The Ontario Municipal Rural Broadband Partnership Program.
• An additional $30 million was allocated in the Spring 2008 Budget for the Rural Connections Broadband Program.

Through these programs we have funded 69 projects to date.

For more information, contact:

Kelly Synnott, Minister's Office, 416-326-6439
Brent Ross, Communications Branch, 416-326-9342