Southgate is going ahead with a $2-million plan to bring fibre optic internet to the municipality.
Southgate's proposal has been approved by the province, which now enables it to apply for federal-provincial funding.
If the grant is approved, Southgate's $700,000 share will be paid by a private company.
The project will lay down 85 km of fibre optic trunk lines connecting the main built-up areas of the municipality such as Holstein, Dromore and Swinton Park. Then, over the next five or ten years, smaller feeder lines will be built to service the rest of the township.
"It's going to cost money, it's going to take commitment but very much it is needed," says Southgate Mayor Brian Milne. "It's going to be a base for economic development in this county, if not country, and we need to get on with it and I think this is an excellent opportunity to start that project."