Blue Sky Net Releases 2024 Northern Ontario Broadband Report
NORTH BAY, ONTARIO, April 22, 2024 – The Federal Government of Canada and the Ontario Provincial Government understand the importance of high-quality internet access. In fact, both have set a target for 50/10 Mbps internet access – the Federal Government aiming for every household by 2030 and the Province of Ontario for every Ontario household by 2025. The Federal Government currently states that as of September 2023 93.5 % of Canadian households have access to 50/10 Mbps, Ontario households have 92.9% access.
Where does Northern Ontario Fit into this Picture?
Blue Sky Net has released the newest Northern Ontario Broadband Report. The report uses combined data from ISED’s National Broadband data portal, Census Canada community data, and broadband project data from Ontario Connects to perform an analysis of broadband availability in Northern Ontario.
Ontario household coverage of 50/10 is at 92.9%, however Northern Ontario household coverage is 73% and that number is even smaller (52%) when you isolate the five largest communities.
Optimism for the Future
The Federal and Provincial governments have announced financial contributions of over $2.8 billion for Ontario broadband projects, $1 billion of the Ontario broadband funding has been allocated to Northern Ontario. The Ontario government has committed to over $4 billion in funding for Ontario broadband projects.
Projects are tracked and reported in three stages: Planning, Under Construction, and Complete. The goal for Ontario is to have all funded projects completed and all households covered with 50/10 Mbps by 2025. Progress on funded projects in Northern Ontario have been slower to complete than those in the rest of Ontario. Northern Ontario project completion rate is currently 8.9%, whereas completion rate in the rest of Ontario is 42%.
To read the full Northern Ontario Broadband Report, please visit:
https://connectednorth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-Northern-Ontario-Broadband-Report-.pdf
Resources for Northern Ontario broadband mapping, research and learning can be found at:
https://hub.ontariobroadbandresourcehub.ca/
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Susan Church
Executive Director
Blue Sky Economic Growth Corporation 1-705-476-0874 ext: 211
About Blue Sky Net:
Blue Sky Net (Blue Sky Economic Growth Corporation) is a not-for-profit organization located in North Bay operating since 2002. Our mission is to promote the development and adoption of digital technologies. Blue Sky Net has produced various online resources including: the connectednorth.ca website, Ontario Internet Access Map (OIAM), Ontario Broadband Resource Hub, and the Broadband and Associated Infrastructure Analysis Project (BAIMAP).