The first installment of a five-year investment to make a high speed fibre optic technology widely available throughout southwestern Ontario was included in the 2015 budget passed by county council on Jan. 29.
The county set aside $200,000 toward an anticipated $1-million contribution to the Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) plan in 2019.
The plan to create a regional digital infrastructure was initiated by the Western Ontario Warden’s Caucus (WOWC) and involves 14 counties, from Simcoe in the north to Essex in the south.
Separated municipalities of Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo, Windsor, London, St. Thomas, St. Mary’s, Brantford, City of Stratford, Orillia and Barrie are also involved.
Other partners represented on a steering committee guiding the venture include educational institutions, health care organizations, First Nations and private sector enterprises.
A feasibility study on the project determined much of southwestern Ontario, home to about three million people or roughly 10 per cent of Canada’s population, has poor broadband internet service in comparison to the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Areas.
The study indicates the disparity occurs because providers pick “broadband winners and losers” based on potential return on investment, and there is little competition in this region, creating pressure to improve price and service quality.
SWIFT’s long-term public sector involvement “means socio-economic priorities are considered not just the bottom line,” notes a report on the project presented to the county’s administration, finance and personnel committee on Jan. 20.
The report indicates a 20-year vision for the project would see everyone in the region with access to the technology. Once fully established, the network is expected to serve over 300 communities, including rural areas with population densities as low as four persons per square kilometre. Users across the region would be encouraged to connect to partner providers’ systems and user fees would sustain the system, according to information posted on the WOWC website.
A press release from the county states the SWIFT program involves
partnerships with the federal and provincial governments and other southwestern Ontario municipalities “that will leverage an investment of over $14 million in Wellington County.”
Treasurer Ken DeHart stressed the county’s $1 million represents only the municipal contribution to the project.
“The municipal funding is expected to leverage significant investment from the feds, province” and private sector, DeHart explained in an email to the Advertiser.
A funding model contained in the report projects investment of over $240 million in the network, including contributions of $80 million each from the from the federal and provincial governments, $16 million from municipalities and $65 million from the private sector.
