- SWIFT awards final pending Middlesex County contract to EH!Tel Networks.
- In total Middlesex County will receive $13 million in broadband upgrades to support seven fibre-to-the-home projects.
(Middlesex, ON) May 17, 2021 – Today SWIFT announce that it has awarded a $5.5 million contract to EH!tel Networks to bring high-speed internet access to an additional 600 rural underserved homes and businesses in Middlesex County.
This announcement follows on SWIFT’s previously awarded Middlesex County projects, that originally total $7.5 million in broadband infrastructure investments.
With the addition of today’s newly announced contract, SWIFT has awarded a total of $7.1 million in federal and provincial funding to bring greater connectivity to more than 1,700 homes and businesses within Middlesex County. As a result, the municipality will receive $13 million in broadband upgrades, including $5.9 million in contributions from the internet service providers, to support seven fibre-to-the-home projects.
“Today’s announcement marks the final awarded contract through the SWIFT program to expand broadband infrastructure in the County of Middlesex” said Barry Field, Executive Director, SWIFT. “With construction forecasted to start on a number of our awarded projects in the coming weeks, we are pleased to be working with local internet service providers to bring greater connectivity to more than 1,700 rural underserved homes and businesses throughout the County.”
“The signing of the final contract for the construction of broadband infrastructure in the communities of Christina, Longwood, Mayfair, Middlemiss and Muncey, will provide more people in these communities with access to the fast, reliable internet needed to do everything from homework, running a business or working from home,” said Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “That’s why our government continues to invest in modern broadband to better connect the people of Southwestern Ontario to the exciting opportunities found online.”
“The awarding of this contract for this project is encouraging news, as it puts us further along the trail to addressing the significant challenges that lie ahead for the provision to equitable and affordable broadband options for our rural and small urban municipalities. While this is an important step in the journey, we will continue to courage our private and public-sector partners to invest in a fulsome solution,” said Middlesex County Warden Cathy Burghardt-Jesson.
“EH!tel is proud to partner with SWIFT to provide Strathroy-Caradoc, Southwest Middlesex and Middlesex Centre with the best broadband technologies available. This project is perfectly aligned with our objective; provide high quality affordable broadband to rural communities. The project will lead to new partnerships, stimulate economic growth, create employment, and keep families connected,” said Antonius Peeters, President and CEO, EH!tel Networks.
Today’s announcement is part of SWIFT’s broadband expansion plan that aims to bring high-speed internet access to more than 50,000 underserved homes and businesses across Southwestern Ontario.
For more information on SWIFT funded projects, including construction completion dates, please visit our approved project page to learn more.
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
