TORONTO — In what is arguably one of the most connected and fibre-rich cities in Canada, the city of Toronto is planning to build its own municipal broadband network “to help bridge the increasing digital divide by expanding access to affordable high-speed internet to underserved Toronto residents”, says a press release issued by the city last week.
The city once owned a fibre network built by Toronto Hydro, but sold it to Cogeco in 2008.
Despite the wide availability of Internet connectivity across the city, “some Torontonians are being left behind because of the high price of reliable internet service and gaps in the availability of high-speed internet in some areas,” the city says in its press release.
The proposed plan, called ConnectTO, is scheduled to be further discussed by Toronto city council at its virtual meeting on Tuesday, February 2.
In a summary of the plan, the city says the proposed program is not designed to position the city as an ISP competitor.
“ConnectTO is meant to complement, not compete with the current landscape, by filling gaps in fibre connectivity to underserved areas,” reads the city’s proposal.
As envisioned in the city’s plan, the ConnectTO fibre-enabled broadband network will:
- Leverage and connect city assets (i.e., fibre, buildings, lights, rights of way, etc.) as the city’s contribution to the program to unlock public asset value.
- Create collaboration between the city, or a city entity, and the private sector to connect underserved areas with fibre to create a city-wide high-speed broadband network, where the private sector partner will deliver the internet to homes and businesses.
- Offer open access to this network to any qualified service providers, at a fair price, to generate revenue.
- Ensure revenue is re-invested in Toronto communities, such as enabling internet costs for vulnerable Torontonians at a lower rate.
The city is recommending a phased delivery of the ConnectTO program, with Phase 1 target areas including the community areas of Jane and Finch (Humber River-Black Creek), Golden Mile (Scarborough Centre) and Malvern (Scarborough North). These three sites are expected to be live on the ConnectTO network starting in late 2021. Phase 2 of the project would see the network launched city-wide starting in early 2022, according to the city’s press release.
The program is also meant to streamline and update city processes to ensure internet connectivity planning, such as installing public Wi-Fi and laying fibre conduits in existing construction work, is embedded in the planning and execution of various city initiatives moving forward, says the press release.
Wednesday evening, the city’s executive committee approved a couple of amendments to the ConnectTO plan ahead of city council’s meeting on February 2. The executive committee wants affordable high-speed internet to be integrated into all new affordable housing development projects and all large-scale revitalization projects in the city going forward. In addition, the committee proposes the city’s chief technology officer and chief procurement officer consult with the city’s tech community in an information-gathering session, prior to the tender documents being finalized for ConnectTO.
