STEPHEN RICCIO
PONTIAC May 4, 2021
High-speed internet access is coming to residents across the Pontiac and the rest of the Outaouais by September 2022, with Pontiac MP Will Amos announcing . . .
$81.36 million in provincial and federal government aid to telecom companies to connect 18,200 households across the region.
Through service providers Cogeco and Xplornet, a total public-private investment of $112 million is being put into building fibre optic infrastructure directly to homes and businesses, according to a May 4 press release from Amos’s office. On top of the government funding, “the private companies will invest about $40 million in these projects,” according to Amos’s executive assistant Francis Beausoleil.
Across the MRC Pontiac, 14 municipalities will be connected through the announced funding, which in combination with an April 16 Bell announcement will ensure connection for all 18 municipalities. In addition, homes in the Municipality of Pontiac will be hooked up thanks to Tuesday’s announcement.
Cogeco will be providing connection to residents in the Municipality of Pontiac, while Xplornet will connect residents in the following municipalities: Alleyn et Cawood, Bristol, Bryson, Campbell’s Bay, Clarendon, Fort Coulonge, L’Isle du Grand Calumet, Litchfield, Mansfield et Pontefract, Otter Lake, Portage du Fort, Shawville, Thorne and Waltham.
While Cogeco is receiving $23.8 million to connect 2,890 households across the entire region, Xplornet is receiving $57.5 million to serve 15,310 Outaouais households.
Specific information around which neighborhoods and streets within each municipality being connected is not yet available, as the companies are in the process of contacting municipalities to ensure they aren’t leaving anyone behind, according to Beausoleil.
The release also referenced a previous Bell announcement from April 16 where the company confirmed it would expand its fibre-optic network in the municipalities of Alleyn et Cawood, Chichester, L’Isle aux Allumettes, Sheenboro, Waltham and Pontiac thanks to $84 million in government support. This funding follows the same September 2022 timeline, as the companies face penalty if the service is not provided to households by then.
Amos said he was pleased to announce the funding, highlighting that the connection by next fall was made possible by positive relations between the federal and provincial governments.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that it has never been more important to connect all Quebecers to high speed internet,” Amos said in the release. “…With this historic announcement, and thanks to our good collaboration between Canada and Quebec, we are increasing the potential for economic growth, enabling work-from-home, and helping improve the quality of life of all rural residents in the Outaouais.”
The CRTC defines high-speed internet as a minimum download speed of 50 Mbps and a minimum upload speed of 10 Mbps.
