The Ontario government is investing nearly $1 billion over six years to improve and expand broadband and cellular access across the province.
This funding will be used for shovel-ready projects starting in 2019-20, will create jobs, and connect unserved and underserved communities during COVID-19 and beyond.
The investment doubles funding for the Improving Connectivity in Ontario (ICON) program, bringing the new total to $300 million. This program now has the potential to leverage more than $900 million in total partner funding to improve connectivity in areas of need across Ontario.
As many as 12 per cent of households in Ontario, mostly in rural, remote or Northern areas, are underserved or unserved from the perspective of broadband, according to Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) data.
“Right now, 1.4 million Ontarians lack access to broadband services that meet the CRTC’s minimum service standards, many in rural and northern areas,” says Peter Bethlenfalvy, President of the Treasury Board and Minister Responsible for Digital Government and Data Transformation. “We are ensuring more people and businesses can have safe and secure online access to the programs and services many of us already enjoy.”