Now more than ever, households need access to reliable high-speed internet in order to:
- stay in touch with friends and family
- access public services like health care and education
- operate businesses
- work from anywhere in the province
- create jobs and enhance economic growth
The province has established the goal for everyone in Ontario to have access to reliable high-speed internet and cellular connections at home, work and in our communities.
All levels of government are looking for ways to bring improved connectivity to rural communities. However, municipal governments do not have a mandated role in telecommunications, which is regulated at the federal level. Since the infrastructure and service is privately owned by internet service providers (ISPs), the location and availability of broadband is typically not available to municipalities.
The cost of broadband infrastructure also makes it difficult for many rural municipalities to support or influence the rate or location of broadband expansion in their communities. Almost all incentive funding is provided directly to ISPs by the federal and provincial governments through various grant programs.
To achieve this, the province is making an investment of nearly $4 billion to help bring high-speed internet access to every community across the province by the end of 2025.
Rural areas typically involve significantly larger landscapes and a much lower population density. This means that expansion of broadband would be very costly for ISPs since there would be a limited number of households to fund the expansion or generate a sufficient profit.
This problem is exacerbated by the limited number of ISPs providing service in many rural markets across Ontario and the lack of competition means there is little incentive for these companies to improve the service they offer.
The combination of expensive infrastructure, fewer households, and limited competition has resulted in a gap of broadband services for some rural residents. This problem is referred to as “market failure” because the typical market for goods and services (basic supply and demand) has failed to provide what consumers want.
For more information regarding internet projects happening in our area please see the mapping and information provided by the province at the following link:
Ontario connects: making high-speed internet accessible in every community | ontario.ca
You can also consult the National Broadband Internet Service Availability Map to see a list of which service providers are operating in your area. Click here to access the map