The RFP is expected to close on July 31, 2020 with contracts awarded and service provider agreements in place later this year.
As part of its Southwestern Ontario broadband expansion plan, SWIFT is proud to announce it has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) valued at approximately $1 million to bring faster and more reliable internet to the City of Windsor. The RFP supports the expansion of critical broadband infrastructure in the City’s underserved areas.
“Generally larger cities are considered well served, however in Windsor broadband gaps still exist with some areas in the community unable to access quality broadband services,” says Barry Field, Executive Director, SWIFT. “SWIFT is pleased to announce today that it will be working with our partners to deliver faster and more reliable high-speed coverage to the region’s underserved residents.”
“Reliable and affordable broadband internet is important to attract new development helping improve our local economy,” says Drew Dilkens, Mayor, City of Windsor. “We see this project as positive movement in that direction.”
SWIFT is leveraging approximately $600,000 in funding contributions received from its municipal partners to support up to 60% of the eligible costs for awarded projects in the Windsor area.
“Bridging broadband service gaps and boosting connectivity across Southwestern Ontario is critical to continuing to grow and drive the economic prosperity of the region,” says David Mayberry, Board Chair, SWIFT. “Together with our municipal partners we are funding the expansion of broadband infrastructure and investing in the future of our communities.”
Prequalified service providers have until July 31, 2020 to submit network designs and proposals to address broadband service gaps in eligible funding areas throughout the City.
SWIFT will evaluate all compliant proposals against an assessment criteria to identify high-quality projects. Contracts and funding will be awarded to successful proponents based on ability to provide the Universal Service Objective of 50 Mbps down, 10 Mbps up (50/10) or greater, number of premises passed, future scalability of the network and service provider contribution proportion, among other project selection factors.
Selected and approved projects will be announced once SWIFT has completed its evaluation assessment, negotiated contracts and awarded funding to projects that scored the highest based on the evaluation process.
Quick Facts:
- The RFP supports the expansion of broadband infrastructure in eligible funding areas that do not have access to 50 Mbps down, 10 Mbps up (50/10) service.
- SWIFT will leverage approximately $600,000 in funding contributions made by its member municipalities to expand broadband infrastructure in the City of Windsor’s underserved areas.
- SWIFT operates on a cost-sharing basis that requires successful service providers to fund 40% of the awarded project(s) cost in the Windsor area
- The broadband infrastructure expansion project is collectively valued at approximately $1 million.
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.
Media Contact:
Melissa O’Brien
[email protected]
Manager, Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology
226.256.1640
