\u201cWe\u2019ve got to get going and get this project started,\u201d said J. Murray Jones, chairman for the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN). <\/p>\n
The non-profit agency was responsible for developing a region-wide public-private partnership between local government through the Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus (EOWC), the provincial and federal governments, and the private sector that resulted in the original Eastern Ontario Broadband Project. That provided high-speed Internet service to a large part of Eastern Ontario, including many rural areas that had lacked Internet service before. <\/p>\n
Now EORN is focused on its Gig Project, which would provide ultra-fast high-speed broadband service to 95 per cent or more of Eastern Ontario and also deal with rural areas that either still lack high-speed service or have problems with their existing broadband connection.The project cost is estimated at between $500 million and $700 million, and EORN wants the federal and provincial governments to each commit $200 million to the project. <\/p>\n
An EORN brief on the Gig project noted that the funding request amounts to about 5.7 per cent of the $7 billion that represents the combined investment for broadband service improvements allocated the provincial and federal budgets. Jones observed that recent studies show that rural Eastern Ontario contains 30 per cent of all the Ontario households that have either poor Internet service or no Internet service at all. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been talking about it (broadband improvement for so long,\u201d said Jones, \u201cand how we\u2019ve got to get going and do it.\u201d <\/p>\n
Jones noted that federal government officials, including Maryam Monsef, minister for rural economic development, have indicated \u201cstrong support\u201d for EORN\u2019s Gig project funding request. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut it appears they\u2019re waiting for the province to jump on board,\u201d he said, \u201cand they (Queens Park) have yet to get their foot on the poop deck.\u201d <\/p>\n
The EORN chairman observed that the provincial government was \u201cvery supportive\u201d of the group\u2019s Cell Gap Project to improve cellular broadband service for Eastern Ontario and eliminate \u201cdead zones\u201d where mobile phones don\u2019t work. Both the province and the federal government provided $71 million to the $300 million project with Rogers Communications serving as the private sector partner. <\/p>\n
Jones noted that EORN\u2019s own studies show the Gig Project will have \u2018significant benefit\u201d to Eastern Ontario\u2019s economy, helping existing local businesses become more competitive in the global online market and attracting new businesses to the region. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re talking about job creation,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve proven (on paper) that in five years the federal and provincial governments will get their money back in the form of taxes and reduced government (support) program costs.\u201d <\/p>\n
EORN, along with the EOWC and the Eastern Ontario Mayors Caucus, is asking Eastern Ontario residents to contact their MP and MPP about federal and provincial funding support for the Gig Project. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe can hit the ground running,\u201d said Jones, \u201cand we\u2019ve proven we can do it. We just need them (senior governments) on board.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The head of Eastern Ontario\u2019s broadband development lobby says that \u201ctime is running out\u201d for senior governments to show definite support for a plan for ultra-fast high-speed Internet service for the region. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":14755,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politique"],"acf":[],"featured_media_global":[],"yoast_head":"\n