PARRY SOUND, ON – Hundreds of more homes around Parry Sound are getting better internet access.
Parliamentary Assistant Donna Skelly announced the first Northern Ontario Residential Broadband Project this week. The idea is to use a microwave link to transmit high-speed internet from Parry Sound to individual homes in Carling Township using fiberoptic technology.
The project is predicted to save $1.2 million in installation costs. The service is also unaffected by forest and lakes, there is no reason to install poles or run cables, which will reduce maintenance costs. There will be no reason to dig up and repave driveways to lay cables as well.
“This exciting project takes on the challenges of getting reliable, high-performance internet to rural and remote communities,” Skelly said. “This is great news for West Parry Sound, and for all the communities that will benefit from this technology in the future.”
The project is part of the province’s Next Generation Network Program where $63.3 million has been committed over five years to improve internet access in smaller communities.
“The importance of broadband access in rural areas cannot be overstated,” Norm Miller, MPP for Parry Sound-Muskoka said. “Parry Sound-Muskoka knows all too well how important connectivity is and how it can determine success in a myriad of ways. I am very pleased to see projects such as these come into the area.”
The province said it will be discussing ways to encourage more investment into rural and undercapitalized areas of Ontario. The goal is to make the province more competitive and create more jobs in the private sector, which should result in more growth.