Cogeco completes construction of a $5.2 million fibre-to-the-home network in Lambton County.
(Lambton County, ON) January 6, 2023– SWIFT announced today that high-speed fibre-optic internet service is now available to more than 2,010 homes and businesses in Lambton County.
“With the completion of the fibre-optic network in the Township of St. Clair, more than 90% of homes and businesses located in SWIFT funded project areas throughout Lambton County now have access to high-speed internet,” said Barry Field, Executive Director, SWIFT. “To date five out of six SWIFT awarded high-speed internet projects have been completed in Lambton County and we anticipate that the network buildout of the final project will be complete in the coming weeks.”
In partnership with SWIFT, Cogeco has completed construction of an 80-kilometre fibre-optic network in the Township of St. Clair to provide residents and business owners along the St. Clair River shoreline between Corunna and Babys Point, as well as the areas surrounding the communities of Brigden and Wilkesport with access to high-speed internet service.
“Providing reliable internet access is especially important for rural communities to prosper in our increasingly digital world,” said Irek Kusmierczyk, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion and Member of Parliament for Windsor—Tecumseh, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities. “Today’s announcement will ensure that thousands of homes, businesses, and farms in Lambton County can connect to essential online services and enjoy the additional economic opportunities made available through high-speed internet.”
“I’m proud that our government continues to deliver on our commitment to expand access to high-speed internet in rural communities across the province,” said Lisa M. Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “Building new broadband infrastructure in Lambton County is helping to build rural Ontario and strengthen communities by helping people stay connected with loved ones and enable them to access supports they need. This critical infrastructure will have lasting benefits for our entire community.”
“With more reasons to go online than ever before, the need for fast, reliable broadband service in rural Lambton County is critical,” said Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey. “The completion of this project is great news for the over 2,000 families who can now take advantage of modern, reliable internet service in their homes and at their businesses.”
“The completion of the St. Clair Township high-speed internet project has been the best news that local businesses and residents have received after many years of little or no service in this area,” said Lambton County Warden Kevin Marriott. “The completion of these projects continues to have a very positive economic impact for rural Lambton County.”
Residents located within the SWIFT funded project area that are interested in subscribing to the newly available high-speed service can now sign up with Cogeco to receive fibre-optic connectivity to their homes and businesses.
“We are proud to announce that over 2,000 residents and businesses in the communities of Brigden, Corunna, Courtright, Mooretown, Port Lambton, Sombra, and Wilkesport will soon be connected to our powerful high-speed Internet and enjoy local programming on YourTV. In partnership with SWIFT, we laid nearly 80 km of fibre, completing the core network construction. Our local teams are continuing to complete final connections to homes and businesses over the coming months,” said Matt Wickham, Vice President and General Manager, Customer Experience and B2B at Cogeo.
To learn more about Cogeco’s high-speed internet service, please visit www.cogeco.ca or call 1.866.261.4447.
Today’s announcement is part of SWIFT’s $270 million regional broadband expansion plan that will bring high-speed internet access to nearly 64,000 homes and businesses throughout Southwestern Ontario.
For additional information on SWIFT funded projects, please visit: www.swiftruralbroadband.ca.
Quick Facts:
- SWIFT in partnership with the federal and provincial governments and private sector investors has committed a combined investment of $18.8 million, including an additional investment of $2.5 million from Lambton County, to bring high-speed internet service to nearly 5,000 underserved homes and businesses throughout Lambton County.
- In total, SWIFT has awarded 97 contracts to support the expansion of broadband infrastructure throughout Southwestern Ontario to bring nearly 64,000 homes and businesses across the region access to high-speed internet service. Local projects are underway, with 38 projects in the construction phase and 59 projects completed.
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 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
