Helping Rural Bruce County Connect

Broadband
Bruce County
Helping Rural Bruce County Connect
In March 2008, the provincial government announced it is investing $30 million over the next four
years to expand high-speed access to under-serviced communities in rural southern Ontario. The
Rural Connections Broadband Program, a joint initiative between the ministries of Agriculture, Food
and Rural Affairs, Government Services, and Small Business and Consumer Services, will have a
positive impact on families in Bruce County, as it will reduce broadband infrastructure gaps, enable our
businesses to participate in the digital economy, and will improve access to public services such as e-
learning, e-health and e-government.
The County of Bruce is aware that a large portion of our residents, as well as small and medium
businesses, are limited in their access to high-speed connectivity. Over the course of the next year, the
County will be conducting a gap analysis to identify the locations lacking connectivity, meeting with
Internet Service Providers (ISP's) to distinguish possible remedies, and preparing a proposal to expand
the availability of broadband technology to under-serviced areas. Once our proposal receives
approval, the province will contribute up to 1/3, to a maximum of $1 million, to implement the proposal.
The remainder of the funds will come from County funds and project partners.
To be successful in bringing high-speed to you, Broadband Bruce County needs the help of
residents, businesses, the agricultural sector and public services. Please visit
www.brucecounty.on.ca/broadband.php and fill out the location survey. Or you can call the Broadband
Project Co-ordinator, Lisa Lang at 519-881-2952 x316 to add your interest to the list. This will give us
the necessary feedback that we need to find the "dead spots" in the county. Without hearing from you,
we cannot know that you are interested in connecting to the "digital highway".
Bruce County recognizes that high-speed access to the Internet is an important issue for our rural
residents as it will provide our communities with an opportunity to stimulate resident participation, job
growth and economic diversification. We look forward to working with you to break down the gaps in
accessibility.
For more information, please contact Lisa Lang, Broadband Project Co-ordinator, at 519-881-2952
x316 or llang@brucecounty.ca