The governments of Canada and Ontario announced last Friday they are providing more than $5.3 million in joint funding toward two broadband projects in Essex County, which Cogeco has now completed, as part of Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology Inc.’s (SWIFT) regional broadband expansion plan for Southwestern Ontario.
The two levels of government previously announced the funding over a year ago. Cogeco completed the fibre infrastructure projects in July, according to SWIFT’s approved projects webpage.
With their completion, Cogeco is now able to provide high-speed internet access to 3,587 previously underserved homes and businesses in Essex County, including in the communities of Edgars, Gesto, Marshfield, Pleasant Valley, Arner, East Harrow, Ambassador Beach, Levergood Beach, Belcreft Beach, Comet, Seymour Beach, Lypps Beach, Mount Carmel, Wigle, Blytheswood, Oakland and Staples.
Residents in these SWIFT-funded project areas can now contact Cogeco to subscribe to the newly available high-speed internet service and receive fibre connectivity to their homes and businesses, says a SWIFT press release.
“More than 3,500 residents and businesses in the County of Essex will enjoy our fibre-powered network for high-speed Internet and local programming on YourTV, thanks to our partnership with SWIFT,” Frédéric Perron, president of Cogeco, said in SWIFT’s release. “Our local teams laid approximately 190 km of fibre for 2 expansion projects across 17 communities in the County. It’s not just about internet — it’s about bringing people together. We’re thrilled to connect them to their friends, families, coworkers, clients, and community. This is another step to help bridge the digital divide, ensuring all Ontarians are connected no matter where they call home.”
The completion of these two projects is part of SWIFT’s $270-million regional broadband expansion plan, which aims to bring high-speed internet access to more than 64,000 homes and businesses throughout Southwestern Ontario, the release explains.
In total, SWIFT has awarded 97 contracts to support broadband infrastructure expansion across the region. To date, 88 projects have been successfully completed and nine currently remain in the construction phase, according to the release.
