Around 570 homes, farms and businesses in rural Lambton County will have access to high speed internet service by the end of the year.
Construction of a new $6 million infrastructure network is ongoing after first being announced in May of 2021.
That will service those in the Plympton-Wyoming, Enniskillen Township, and Watford areas.
Lambton Warden Kevin Marriott is pleased to see the beneficial project moving forward.
"Farms have become very reliant on this," said Marriott. "The technology is growing fast with the need in agriculture for high speed (internet). Between online schooling and agriculture, the project is very welcome. It's a great addition to how underserviced all of Lambton was, especially the last two years with online schooling we found out how under serviced we really are."
The federal and provincial governments have each committed over $385,000 to fund the project.
Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey said the infrastructure improvements are critical.
"In our modern Ontario, access to reliable, high-speed internet is equally important to rural residents and businesses as it is to those in larger urban centres," said Bailey. "I am extremely pleased that this project will bring essential high-speed internet to more than 570 new customers in Lambton County before the year end."
The contract to expand broadband services was awarded by Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) Inc, a not-for-profit corporation, initiated by local municipalities to address connectivity in Southwestern Ontario.
SWIFT recently undertook similar projects in north Lambton, Kettle and Stony Point First Nation and St. Clair Township.
More than $255 million has been invested by the governments of Canada and Ontario and the private sector, to bring high-speed internet to more than 58,000 households and businesses in Southwestern Ontario through SWIFT.
