What is the objective of the project?
The main objective of the Rural Connections Broadband project is to leverage government funding to accelerate the provisioning of broadband coverage to identified rural areas where high-speed Internet service has been previously unavailable. The project has ensured that the Internet experience of rural residents and businesses with regard to quality, speed, and affordability is comparable to that enjoyed in urban areas.
What is the Ontario Government’s involvement?
In March 2008, the Province of Ontario announced a $30 million, four-year Rural Connections Broadband Program designed to reduce broadband infrastructure gaps in underserved rural regions in southern Ontario. Rural Connections will have a positive impact on families in rural Ontario by leveraging broadband infrastructure investment from private-sector businesses and public partners to enhance economic development and improve access to public services such as e-learning, e-health and e-government.
For more information on the Rural Connections program, visit:
http://omafra.gov.on.ca/english/rural/ruralconnections/broadband.htm.
The United Counties of Prescott and Russell, Xplornet and Bell Aliant have partnered to accelerate the provision of broadband coverage to identified rural areas where high-speed Internet service has been previously unavailable. The project also ensured that rural residents receive an Internet experience that is affordable, reliable and comparable to service in urban areas.
Why is high-speed Internet access so important? Why are the Province and the Counties investing in improving coverage? Why are some of my tax dollars being used to subsidize this initiative?
Today, all levels of government increasingly consider high-speed Internet access to be a virtual necessity, one that is as important to a community’s economic and social well-being as roads or electricity. In the absence of high-speed Internet access, economic development within the Counties and the provision of services to residents is seriously impaired. As the private and public sector increasingly move to more self-service, lower-cost solutions, and utilize quick response communication vehicles, which provide easier and more transparent access to information, both the Internet and technology have become the cornerstones for such initiatives.
Examples of such developments within the past few years include:
1) E-Government – access to government services from Web portals on the Internet. It is increasingly difficult for businesses to bid on government contracts without access to high-speed Internet.
2) E-Health – provision of health care using technology enabled means.
3) E-Agriculture – use of the Internet for research, collaboration, education, marketing, business development and crop and livestock management
4) E-Business – companies are providing more services online – from advertising to product fulfillment. Consumers can also obtain information and then purchase goods and services via e-commerce enabled methods.
5) E-Learning – delivery of training and course material online.
6) Communications – the majority of communications to both organizations (businesses, non-profit and government) and individual users is now being provided over the Internet - for example via email and through Web sites. Offices are now connected together through virtual private networks or wide area networks enabling employees to telecommute. Virtual meetings, Internet based telephone service, and file and information sharing through the use of Web portals is now commonplace.
7) Social Networking – interacting with others and sharing information through Web portals, video sharing, and sending pictures electronically to family and friends. Internet-based dating and social interaction Web sites such as Facebook or MySpace are becoming increasingly popular.
8) Entertainment – the Internet can be used to purchase and download multimedia material such as music, radio broadcasts, TV shows, movies, etc. on a permanent or temporary basis. People can also play games with others online.
How can I obtain more information about the Province’s Rural Connections Program?
More information regarding the Rural Connections Program can be found at the provincial website:
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/rural/ruralconnections/broadband.htm
Why is the government subsidizing private industry?
The government wants all Ontarians to have the opportunity to succeed. Fast, accessible broadband and a digitally-skilled population are very important to community development and economic growth in Ontario. The Government has a role in this strategy since it impacts our future opportunities. We have determined that incentives help get the more technically challenging projects built in rural and Northern Ontario. To that end, they have partnered successfully with municipalities since 2007 and are now looking to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that have viable plans and financing ready to invest in the construction and operation of broadband networks.
Project History
In the fall of 2008, the United Counties began to prepare an application for funding by the Province’s “Rural Connections” program. The first step was to determine which areas, based on provincial criteria, could be identified as un-served and qualify for program funding. Following an open and competitive “Request for Proposal” (RFP) process to determine the best technologies and costs, an Application to request funding support was submitted in January 2009. In June 2009 the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affaires (OMAFRA) confirmed that the project was approved as submitted. Based on the best coverage and technology blends, Bell Aliant Regional Communication Limited and Xplornet Communication Inc (Xplornet) were confirmed as the successful vendors. Bell’s proposal included the installation of high speed DSL (digital subscriber line) Internet to a number of specific areas, while the Xplornet proposal provides Fixed Wireless coverage to the majority of the remaining un-served areas. The project was approved by council. The Funding Application between the United Counties and the Ontario Government was signed July 13, 2010. Following the signing of this agreement the contracts with Bell Aliant and BXI were completed and signed.
The networks are live as of September 15, 2011.
What are the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) Rural Connections program requirements for the project?
The main requirements are:
a) 1/3 funding from OMAFRA.
b) The network must provide residents with access to a service package with a minimum download speed of 1.5 Mbps (high-speed)
c) Open access to the network (other service providers may have access to the network under certain terms and conditions)
d) The network must be scalable
e) Public (Provincial and County) funds can only be used to provide coverage to identified Un-served broadband gap areas, and not to provide any additional coverage option in areas already classified as Served.
What is “Broadband”?
Broadband or high-speed Internet is defined as a high-capacity, two way network to exchange various types of data. For this project we are focused on the access portion of the world wide Internet network. This access network is the connection between an individual business or residential user and the backbone portion of the Internet and has a minimum download speed of up to 1.5 Mbps. This minimum download speed is required to support today’s technology and applications – such as watching videos on YouTube, playing games online and downloading music. The technology providing the Broadband services can be either wired (as in cable or DSL) or wireless (fixed wireless or satellite) as offered by BXI in this project. Different technologies can provide this access network - Wired (DSL or Cable Modems), Fixed Wireless or Satellite. It is also understood that end users will need higher speeds in the future.
Why is Broadband access important?
The provincial government recognizes the importance of affordable, accessible and reliable broadband for public and private sectors in rural areas. Provincial funding will provide individuals and communities with opportunities to fully participate in the digital economy, thereby stimulating citizen engagement, job growth and economic diversification in rural communities. It will also enhance the quality of life of people in rural and northern areas through improved access to multi-level government information and services, education and skills training, health care, and community and global information resources.
