The Ontario government and Hydro One are launching a pilot project to bring high-speed internet access in the municipality of Brighton in Northumberland County.
“Some of you may ask, why Brighton?,” said infrastructure minister Kinga Surma during an announcement in Brighton on Friday (March 25), where she was joined by Brighton mayor Brian Ostrander, Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini, energy minister Todd Smith, and Hydro One CEO David Lebeter. “Brighton was selected as an underserved rural community with existing infrastructure where Hydro One is the residential electricity provider.”
The project is part of Ontario’s plan to bring reliable high-speed internet access to every community across the province by the end of 2025.
“If this pilot project is successful, this could allow for the exploration of high-speed internet initiatives in other rural communities that are similar to Brighton,” Surma added.
In the pilot project, Hydro One will use its existing infrastructure, including hydro poles, to install fibre cables provided by Hydro One’s telecommunications provider Acronym Solutions Inc. (formerly Hydro One Telecom).
“Over a century ago, Hydro One was created to electrify rural Ontario and northern Ontario,” Lebeter said. “That was done because electricity was seen as critical to economic development. It was seen as critical to providing quality of life for the citizens. And today is no different. Today we’re announcing broadband expansion into Brighton.”
The pilot project is expected to bring high-speed internet access to as many as 1,450 homes and businesses in the municipality of Brighton.
No information was provided on costs of the project or when it will be completed.
