Bell Aliant has announced that the second phase of the Rural Connections wireless infrastructure deployment project is close to be completed. Since officially launched in December 2009,the Rural Connections Program has enabled hundreds of citizens to access high speed internet services in rural areas of the County.

Once Phase 2 is deployed, many more people will be able to initiate this service throughout the County. Bell is aiming to establish services to provide over 95% of residents and businesses with high speed availability.This additional broadband infrastructure will greatly enhance access to a variety of online services. 

For more information, potential customers should go to www.bell.ca or call 1-866-242-0008.

Rural Connections Program Background

Last December, the County of Simcoe’s application to the Rural Connections Broadband Program was approved by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).  Through that initiative, the provincial government will fund up to $1 million to encourage the building of high speed Internet infrastructure in rural, underserviced areas of Simcoe County.  An additional component of the program aims to provide community outreach through information sessions and training workshops to help both residents and businesses to maximize their use of the new facilities as they come on-line.

Collaborating with the County led project are the member municipalities of Adjala-Tosorontio, Bradford West Gwillimbury, Clearview, Essa, New Tecumseth, Tay, Tiny, Severn, Springwater and Oro-Medonte.  The Simcoe Community Access Network (SCAN), the Library Co-operative, the Small Business Enterprise Centres, and the Community Futures Development Corporations will also assist with the project.

This project is vital to building strong communities within the County as both residents and businesses are becoming more reliant on broadband Internet for their daily activities.  This project can be beneficial in many areas such as:

• Improved connections to web-based government services at all levels
• Faster access to a growing list of on-line library resources
• Broader opportunities for businesses to establish themselves throughout the County
• Telecommuting provisions to accommodate home-based employment
• Improved student access to web-based resources for homework and distance education
• Support for healthcare professionals and patients seeking medical information and services
• Overall contribution to the quality of life in Simcoe County

The project will be undertaken over the next 12 months and will target underserviced areas right across the County.  Based on a survey of residents conducted last spring and service data provided by local ISPs, we were able to identify several gaps in service availability.  Through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP), proponents were invited to develop and submit comprehensive communications infrastructure plans that would target those areas and serve the residents and businesses in underserviced areas.  The successful proponent, Bell Aliant will be working with partners Inukshuk and Bell Canada to implement the project over the next year.  County staff will be involved in overseeing the project to ensure that OMAFRA objectives are met and the vendor commitments are achieved.