Infrastructure Ontario (“IO”) is supporting the Ministry of Energy and Mines (“MEM”) on fulfilling of the government’s mandate to maximize access to broadband internet in Ontario. This investment of approximately $4 billion is funding wireline, fixed wireless, and satellite connectivity throughout the province. The Province is utilizing a multi-prong approach to achieve these objectives through a series of subsidy programs such as Improving Connectivity for Ontario (“ICON”) and Universal Broadband Fund contracts (“UBF”, collectively “ICON-UBF”) and competitive processes such as the reverse auction based Accelerated High Speed Internet Program (“AHSIP”). Another key component of the approach is the Very Last Premise Strategy (“VLP”) which is being formulated to address remaining areas of underservice through a range of potential technologies, including transport/backhaul fibre networks, last mile/access fibre networks, wireless broadband and satellite broadband.
AHSIP is a province-wide broadband program, with fibre networks being built by contracted ISPs to underserved areas of the province. Following the reverse auction and contract execution in 2022, ISPs have progressed the design and construction (delivery) of their networks. As network segments are completed, they enter a performance period during which the network is available to end users, and the ISPs are monitored against contractual KPIs.
