Broadband_08-08

Jeff Green | Feb 28, 2008

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It has been many years in coming, but a combination of certain elements coming together and some investments by the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC), has brought several projects to the implementation stage. One of the most highly anticipated of those projects is high speed internet, and service should be rolled out in Frontenac County over the next six months.

A partnership between Central Frontenac Township, the CFDC, and Utilities Kingston has come about to put up the infrastructure ‘backbone’ for high speed internet in the Mountain Grove and Arden areas from a communications tower that will be constructed near Highway 7 at Mountain Grove and will be used for the Central Frontenac Fire and Public Works Departments. Utilities Kingston is reportedly in the midst of finalizing arrangements with an internet service provider (ISP) to deliver the service, which should be available by the end of the summer. This project has been aided by a $15,000 grant from the CFDC.

The CFDC has provided $75,000 to Utilities Kingston to enhance towers they were already constructing to fulfill a contract with the Limestone School Board for North Addington Education Centre in Cloyne and Clarendon Central Public School in Plevna so service can be made available for residential customers as well. This project is also slated for completion this year.

Once these projects are up and running, it is hoped that a consultant will be able to do a gap analysis to find out which locations in the county are still without service.