Ontario Premier Doug Ford says they are investing $150-million to improve broadband and cellular access.
Ford says 620,000 families, businesses and households lack this critical infrastructure.
This is part of the province’s $315 million initiative called Up to Speed: Ontario’s Broadband and Cellular Action Plan.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce says they are working to connect all high schools to broadband by September of this year and elementary schools by the fall of 2021.
“Access to high-speed Internet is foundational to our young people’s success in learning, working, and innovating, today and into the future,” said Minister Lecce.
“Our government is taking action by connecting all schools to broadband, starting with high schools this September 2020 and elementary schools by September 2021. It is also why we are calling on the federal government to step up their investment to connect the next generation of thinkers and workers to the modern and digital economy.”
The ICON program is one of several important initiatives underway to expand access to mobile broadband and high-speed Internet services. Over the past several months, Ontario has partnered with the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) to leverage $213 million to improve access in Eastern Ontario.
