- Huron County to receive $15 million in broadband upgrades to support 10 fibre-to-the-home projects.
- The newly announced projects will collectively service 335 kilometres of underserved roadway within the region to bring better broadband connectivity to 1,854 households and businesses.
(Huron, ON) April 12, 2021 – Today, Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) announced it has awarded funding to expand access to high-speed fibre-optic broadband service to 1,854 households and businesses in Huron County.
“With the strategic investments made by Huron County, and in partnership with the Governments of Ontario and Canada and private sector investors, SWIFT is proud to announce that more than $15 million in contracts have been awarded to support 10 fibre-to-the-home projects to expand broadband service throughout the County,” said Barry Field, Executive Director, SWIFT. “The newly awarded projects are a great step in the right direction to achieving the level of connectivity that is needed in today’s digital society and will further support Southwestern Ontario’s economic recovery.”
“Access to reliable broadband service is essential for Huron County to maintain our vibrant, connected, and prosperous community,” said Huron County Warden Glen McNeil. “The pandemic has only further highlighted the importance of reliable internet. Access to broadband is essential for people to be able to connect, learn, and do business. This announcement is wonderful news for our community.”
In partnership with the Government of Ontario and Canada, SWIFT has awarded $7.3 million in funding, including an additional contribution of up to $2.8 million from the County of Huron, to improve high-speed internet connectivity throughout the municipalities of Central Huron, Huron East, South Huron, Morris-Turnberry and within the townships of North Huron and Howick. In total Huron County will receive $15 million in broadband upgrades, including more than $7.7 million in contributions from the internet service providers.
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- Tuckersmith Communications has been awarded funding to support five fibre-to-the-home projects. The newly awarded projects will collectively service 131 kilometres of underserved roadway to bring high-speed internet to 465 homes and businesses within the municipalities of Central Huron, Huron East and Morris-Turnberry. The projects represent a collective total investment of $3.9 million and will be completed by early 2023, with some project areas expected to be up and running with service starting in early 2022.
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- HuronTel has been awarded funding to support three fibre-to-the-home projects. The newly awarded projects will collectively service 110 kilometres of underserved roadway to bring high-speed internet to 487 homes and businesses within the municipalities of Central Huron, Morris-Turnberry and throughout the Township of North Huron. The projects represent a collective total investment of $4.8 million and will be completed with service available by mid 2023.
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- Wightman Telecom was awarded a contract to deploy fibre-optic cabling along 24 kilometres of underserved roadway within the Township of Howick to bring high-speed internet access to 668 households and businesses. Construction of the $3.7 million fibre-to-the-home solution is expected to be completed with service available by early 2022.
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- SWIFT has signed an agreement with Hay Communications to deploy fibre cabling along more than 70 kilometres of underserved roadway within the Municipality of South Huron to deliver high-speed internet to 234 businesses and homes. Construction of the $2.7 million fibre-to-the-home solution is expected to be completed with service available by early 2022.
Today’s newly announced projects are part of SWIFT’s $209 million broadband expansion plan that aims to bring better broadband access to approximately 50,000 underserved homes and businesses across Southwestern Ontario.
Quotes:
“HuronTel is pleased to partner with SWIFT to provide Fibre to the Home services to areas of Central Huron, Morris-Turnberry and North Huron within Huron County. For 110 years, HuronTel has been committed to provide reliable telecommunications service to residents and businesses in our rural and small communities. These projects will deliver the services and bandwidth required today, and the capacity to meet the needs of the future.”
– Ryan McClinchey, General Manager, HuronTel
“Tuckersmith Communications is pleased to partner with SWIFT in Huron County. This will allow us to extend our fibre network to many underserved rural residents.”
– Bill Meyers, Board Chair, Tuckersmith Communications
“Hay Communications is pleased to have been selected to partner with SWIFT to bring broadband to the citizens of Southern Huron County that have been patiently waiting for this vital service to arrive at their home and businesses.”
– Angela Lawrence, General Manager, Hay Communications Co-operative Limited
Additional Information:
Huron County Project Overview
About SWIFT
Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) is a non-profit regional broadband project initiated by the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus to subsidize the construction of high-speed broadband networks across Southwestern Ontario, Caledon and the Niagara Region.
The project was approved for funding up to $127.4 million under the New Building Canada Fund – Small Communities Fund (NBCF-SCF), a joint federal and provincial infrastructure funding program, and leverages additional funding from municipal partners and private sector investors to bring the total project investment to $209 million to improve access to broadband services across the region.
Media Contact:
Melissa O’Brien
[email protected]
Manager, Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology
226.256.1640
