Faster reliable internet service is on the way for about 1,400 Elgin county residents. Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Jeff Yurek announced today (Wednesday) three contracts have been signed with providers for broadband infrastructure in the Iona Station, New Glasgow and North Hall areas.
The federal and provincial governments have each committed up to $2 million for fibre-optic broadband service in rural, remote and underserved areas of Elgin through the Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) program.
The contracts to expand fibre-optic broadband services in Elgin county were awarded by SWIFT, a not-for-profit corporation initiated by local municipalities to address connectivity in Southwestern Ontario. To date, more than 2,140 households and businesses in Southwestern Ontario have received access to improved broadband through SWIFT.
Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, noted “Broadband connectivity provides our local businesses with access to a world of new online customers and provides rural residents with immediate access to friends and family members, as well as educational opportunities, health care, and a world of other services.”
The infrastructure network is expected to be up and running and service starting in September of 2022.
