GOVERNMENTS TO SPEND $13M FOR IMPROVED RURAL INTERNET

Upper levels of government are providing a national corporation with million of dollars to upgrade internet service to rural customers in the Arnprior area.

Representatives of the federal and provincial governments met in Dunrobin to announce $13 million for Bell Canada to bring highspeed internet to more than 6,400 homes and businesses in Arnprior, Braeside, White Lake Burnstown, Glasgow Station, Carp, Constance Bay, Dunrobin, Fitzroy Harbour, Kinburn and Marathon Village.

For Kanata-Carleton MPP Merrilee Fullerton, it is the end result of more than four years of work to bring high-speed internet to West Carleton. It is one of

the priority objectives of her Kanata-Carleton High Tech and Business Initiative.

"Reliable, quality internet service is essential for business and home-based employees," Fullerton said, "and it is tremendous that West Carleton will now be able to depend on high-speed internet."

The project is part of an existing partnership between Ontario and Canada. On July 29, 2021, the governments announced their partnership to support large-scale, fibre-based projects that will provide high-speed internet access to more than 280,000 households and businesses across the province. This historic agreement was made possible by a joint federal-provincial investment totalling more than $1.2 billion.

The announcement brings Ontario closer to achieving its goal of making high-speed internet accessible in every community across the province by the end of 2025.