On 21st December, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) released the following statement to announce the launch of its Broadband Subcommittee, a subset of its Infrastructure Policy Council:
“In an increasingly digital economy, access to high-speed internet is a precondition for success. We saw evidence of this at the height of the pandemic when many businesses moved online for everything from e-commerce to remote work, and services such as education and healthcare were delivered virtually,” said Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the OCC. “Broadband is critical to unserved and underserved areas as it supports entry into new markets, increases online sales, reduces costs, and supports the delivery of important services.”
Despite sizable investments from the private sector and governments, recent estimates suggest that up to 700,000 businesses and households across Ontario cannot access high-speed internet services of 50/10 megabits per second.
Over the coming months, members of the OCC’s Broadband Subcommittee will convene to develop policy recommendations to support the provincial government’s commitment to bring high-speed connectivity to all regions of Ontario by the end of 2025. The subcommittee will focus on outstanding barriers and gaps that could affect the seamless and efficient delivery of these broadband expansion projects.
“Smart spending and regulation on broadband expansion will have an immediate benefit to our economy and our communities, bolstering Ontario’s business competitiveness on a global scale. We thank our members for their continued action on this file and look forward to working together to connect Ontario,” said Ester Gerassime, Economic Analyst and Chair of the Infrastructure Policy Council.
