Rural Connections …The Ontario Municipal Rural Broadband Partnership Program

The Government of Ontario is committed to building strong, sustainable rural communities. A modern, efficient and reliable telecommunications system is part of the plan. The $10-million Rural Connections …The Ontario Municipal Rural Broadband Partnership Program was announced in the 2007 Ontario Budget and is targeted toward rural municipalities in Southern Ontario that are in a high state of readiness to build and sustain broadband capability in their communities.

Affordable, accessible and efficient broadband access for public and private sectors in rural areas will provide communities and individuals with opportunities to fully participate in the knowledge economy, thereby stimulating citizen engagement, job growth and economic diversification in rural communities.

Strategic investments in broadband infrastructure will help rural municipalities foster partnerships and pursue innovative approaches to promote economic development and improve access to government programs and services.

Rural Connections …The Ontario Municipal Rural Broadband Partnership Program is led by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, together with the Ministry of Government Services and the Ministry of Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

The Rural Connections application intake is closed. Please click here for announcement of successful applicants.

Please click on the links below to access key application materials for the Rural Connections …The Ontario Municipal Rural Broadband Partnership Program.

Application Guidelines
(PDF version - 743kb)

Applications Instructions
(PDF version - 797 kb)

Application Form
(word doc version -162 kb)

Municipal Maps

News Release
Frequently Asked Questions

For more information and application documents, interested municipalities can visit www.ontario.ca/rural or call 1-888-588-4111. Applications are due no later than 5 p.m., July 13, 2007.

NOTE: Some materials available here are in PDF (portable document file) format. To read them you need the FREE Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. The program is available for download (with installation instructions) at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

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