More areas in rural Middlesex County and other southwestern Ontario hamlets will soon have access to better internet.
On Thursday, Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Monte McNaughton announced the Ontario government is expanding access to high-speed internet in a number of municipalities, including Lucan Biddulph, Middlesex Centre, Newbury, North Middlesex, Southwest Middlesex, Strathroy-Caradoc as well as several other areas.
"In 2022, where you live should not determine whether or not you have access to reliable high-speed internet," said McNaughton.
McNaughton said as many as 7,840 homes and local businesses in southwestern Ontario will benefit from the project. This is the largest single investment in high-speed internet, in any province, by any government in Canadian history.
The expansion is part of a $4-billion investment, the largest high-speed internet investment in Canadian history. Last year, the Doug Ford government passed the Supporting Broadband and Infrastructure Expansion Act, 2021, to help speed up the construction of high-speed internet projects to bring reliable internet to every corner of the province by 2025.
The Ontario government has signed agreements with eight internet service providers to bring access to as many as 339 municipalities. Over $950-million has already been committed to nearly 190 broadband, cellular and satellite projects to date, bringing faster internet access to over 375,000 homes throughout eastern Ontario.
"I'm proud our government has made the largest single investment of any province in Canadian history, so more families and businesses in our rural communities will be able to stay connected, when they need to and where they need to," McNaughton added.