$110 Million government & private investment will bring high speed internet service to rural Northumberland by end of 2024
Above image, Brighton Mayor Brian Ostrander, Northumberland County Warden Bob Crate, MPP David Piccini, Alderville Chief, Dave Mowat, Port Hope Mayor Bob Sanderson, Alnwick/Haldimand councillor Jim Hogg, Northumberland County Chief Administrative Officer Jennifer Moore, Alnwick/Haldimand Mayor Gail Latchford, Cobourg Mayor John Henderson, Northumberland County Grant Writer Jennifer Hardy-Parr & Director of Economic Development and Tourism Dan Borowec.
Article & images by Ted Amsden
MPP David Piccini, Warden Bob Crate, municipal and Northumberland County representatives gathered at Codrington Friday for the biggest internet announcement in the County’s history.
A combined government investment of $45 million ($25 million Federal – $20 million Provincial) will be matched by a private sector investment of $65 million that will bring a minimum of 1Gbps (Gigabit per second) service across the County by the end of 2024.
According to Director of Economic Development and Tourism, Dan Borowec who chaired the presentation, the County has formed a partnership with Meridiam Infrastructure North America and Digital Infrastructure Group to form a utility (like Cobourg’s Lakefront Utilities) who will run cable along County roads and up to the front doors of all rural locations. Running cable along hydro pole lines will be the main way the service is physically put in place. Where poles do not exist, cable will be installed in trenches.
He likened the County/private partnership to installing “train tracks”, so internet service providers (the companies that bring the news, movies and Google to your house such as Bell or Cogeco) can run “their trains” that carry the content to you. At present, according to Borowec, there are 40,000 homes in Northumberland, 13,000 of which have limited or no access to the internet.
“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.”
“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 Bob 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 internet service providers have not been announced. Rollout will begin on the eastern side of the County and proceed in three phases. Bringing access to Alderville is very much part of this process. Timelines, services and rates will be announced prior to launch. The private sector will do the heavy lifting of installation, owning, operating and maintaining the fibre-to-the-home telecommunication service.
Fast internet service has been slow coming to rural Northumberland because rural suppliers of internet service don’t have the money to finance costly installation to remote homes. In town, big internet service providers can finance the physical infrastructure through volume and low monthly payments.
This partnership that will see the creation of a utility shared by the County and the private sector is unique. It was cited during the meeting as one of the reasons why the Federal government bought into the project. Warden Crate talked to the value and trust County Council put into the project.
#highspeedruralcable, #northumberland, #northumberlandcounty
