The federal government has announced funding to bring broadband internet to 324 rural homes in Milton.
The $1.6 million dollar investment is part of the Universal Broadband Fund. The $2.75 billion program was first announced late last year. This will be the fourth project affecting rural Milton homes.
Residents in the Nassagaweya area will see the improvements.
It’s something that Milton MP Adam van Koeverden has been fighting for since being voted in. He calls it essential.
On the call for the announcement was Tom Williams, President and CEO, Internet Access Solutions Ltd., o/a Standard Broadband. They will be playing a key role in providing these homes with the broadband internet. He says this is a move for the present and the future.
“We are all very excited here at Standard Broadband to expand our fibre to the home network to over 300 rural households and businesses in Nassagaweya. To say that working from home and online schooling during these tough times have been a challenge for everyone living here would be an understatement. With the support from the Universal Broadband Fund, we are able to build a network that will not only meet today’s demands but also continue to be scalable as bandwidth requirements grow in the future.”
MP van Koeverden says COVID-19 has magnified issues like lack of high speed internet for rural residents.
He adds that he’s heard from residents in these affected rural areas that they have had trouble booking vaccine appointments due to the lack of high-speed internet, let alone struggling with working from home or learning online.
He notes that this is part of a rapid response to provide the service. The plan is for this to be up and running within 12 months.
You can learn more about the announcement here.
