The City of London has committed $690,000 to building 'broadband for everyone' by joining SouthWestern Integrated Fibre Technology Inc. (SWIFT) as a capital contributing member in the regional initiative that will connect southwestern Ontario, Caledon, and Niagara Region to modern broadband infrastructure.
"We see our investment in SWIFT as a significant investment in supporting economic development here in London and across the region," said City of London Mayor Matt Brown. "Growing our economy through strategic partnerships such as SWIFT is a key part of supporting local and regional innovation, a priority in our 2015-2019 Strategic Plan. Reliable, affordable and modern Internet connectivity is an essential service for ensuring our residents and businesses thrive in the digital economy."
By joining SWIFT, London is investing in a collective broadband initiative that is working to improve ultra-high-speed fibre-optic Internet access for more than 3.5 million people – 25% of Ontario's population – across approximately 350 communities. This partnership follows $180 million in combined investments by the federal and provincial governments and over $17 million in investments by municipalities across the region.
"We are pleased to welcome London as a capital partner in SWIFT and look forward to working together to address southwestern Ontario's critical connectivity challenges," said Gerry Marshall, Board Chair at SWIFT. "It is absolutely critical that our region work collaboratively to change the way broadband services are delivered to our communities, and the more sites we have committed to the network, the more influence we will have with service providers and the more competitive the resulting network bids and build will be for participating members."
In addition to leadership from the county members of the Western Ontario Warden's Caucus and investment from the federal and provincial governments, the Town of Caledon, City of Orillia, City of Windsor and the Niagara and Waterloo Regions are also supporting the project financially. Non-municipal members include Chatham Kent Lambton Administrators Group (CKLAG), Connecting Windsor-Essex (CW-E), Georgian College, Grey Bruce Health Services, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Niagara CIO Consortium, Simcoe County Access Network (SCAN), and WREPnet (Waterloo Region Education & Public Network). SWIFT has also been working to engage First Nations across the region and welcomes support from First Nations members, including Beausoleil First Nation, Caldwell First Nation Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point, Delaware Nation – Moravian of the Thames, Saugeen First Nation, and Six Nations of the Grand River.
"This is great news for both London and our region," said Geoff Hogan, Chief Executive Officer at SWIFT. "As a regional initiative, it's important that we work together with every possible partner to build an efficient, effective, and economical network. The participation of our urban partners will support the extension of better broadband services to the unserved residents and businesses of rural Ontario. Together, we will build a robust and revolutionary network to deliver broadband for everyone."
source: media release, SWIFT
