Building Broadband in Rural and Northern Ontario

The Building Broadband in Rural and Northern Ontario Program was announced in 2009 to promote strategic investments in broadband infrastructure and encourage Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to address broadband service gaps.

The Government of Ontario committed up to $32.75 million to support projects in collaboration with Industry Canada's Broadband Canada: Connecting Rural Canadians program. The co-investment of up to one-third of total eligible project costs will help bring broadband access to rural and northern families and businesses.

Industry Canada called for applications in the summer and fall of 2009. Applicants had the option of simultaneously applying for the provincial top-up funding. The proposals had to demonstrate that they met both federal and provincial criteria.

The provincial criteria for Ontario's co-investment included:

• Addressing hard to serve areas
• Providing economic development opportunities
• Improving the capacity of Ontario's broadband networks.