Eastern Ontario Mayors say the time is now for Fibre Internet

The Eastern Ontario Regional Network’s proposed Gig Project received a moral boost for municipal leaders across Eastern Ontario as they urge the Federal and Provincial Governments to support the program.

“Now they are working on a collaborative effort that would provide a broadband connectivity solution to all 750,000 residents in the region, with technology that will not only provide the for the immediate needs of the technology, but more importantly address the needs in a way that will serve the communities for a generation to come,” Lennox and Addington County Warden, Ric Bresee said in a statement to the Kingstonist.

The Gig Project would see Fibre Internet expanded throughout the region and with it bringing internet speeds of a gigabit per second to area homes and businesses.

“EORN has been seeking federal and provincial support for the public-private partnership valued at up to $1.6 billion,” a news release from the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) stated.

“It would include investments by the federal and provincial governments, and the private sector, through EORN’s proven model for expanding connectivity in underserved regions,” the news release added.

Lennox and Addington County Warden, and Loyalist Township Mayor, Ric Bresee believes the pandemic has underscored how necessary the completion of this project has become.

“More than ever, this pandemic has highlighted the needs of our businesses and resident to have stable and modern connectivity,” Bresee said.

“The EORN GIG project represents a practical and efficient method to achieve these goals as quickly as possible,” Bresee added.