The city has one year to tap into federal and provincial funding for better, faster internet in rural areas.
In August 2023, the federal and provincial governments announced $219 million in internet funding, which included several Flamborough towns, like Freelton, Waterdown, Westover, Strabane, Carlisle. Monday’s motion looks to continue to expand on that work, which was contracted through Rogers Communications.
Now, after a motion was passed unanimously at Monday’s Public Works Committee meeting, the city is going to make sure it uses those funding opportunities to partner with internet providers and provide rural residents with faster internet.
Without reliable internet connection, users in rural areas have a less stable access to internet services, which can impact farms and businesses. As well, it limits residents who work remotely, and those who want to access online government services such as Telehealth.
Internet is measured in megabytes per second (mbps), which is the rate someone can upload or download content from the internet.
A map on the city’s website illustrates that Flamborough has some of the poorest connections, with some areas reporting less than a megabyte per second.
Ward 11 Coun. Mark Tadeson, who brought the motion to the committee, cited a city study into its broadband connection, which shows the median speed for internet in rural areas is around one megabyte per second, while in the city it is around 10 megabytes per second.
Hamilton is 75 per cent rural, meaning most of the city’s area does not have reliable high-speed internet, also known as broadband.
“Even though it’s 2024 now, many of our rural residents still struggle with slow internet speed, limited data and unreliable connections,” Tadeson said.
The province has two main programs, the Universal Broadband Fund and Ontario’s Accelerated High-Speed Internet Program, which the city hopes to work with for funding to expand internet access in the city.
Ward 15 Coun. Ted McMeekin, who seconded the motion, said residents in his ward in the “flyover zone” in North Flamborough, near Mountsberg, ended up building their own tower to get service.
“We need as much giddyup as we can get,” McMeekin said.
Project held up by cable location
Ward 12 Coun. Craig Cassar, who represents a part of West Flamborough, said he has heard calls for better internet from several constituents.
Public works general manager Jackie Kennedy said Rogers has put in an application to add 4 km of broadband to rural Hamilton, but Cassar noted that there has been conflict between city building standards and Rogers' methods of putting in fibre optic cables.
Kennedy said the cables would be added along the city’s drainage ditches, which could cause issues when the city has to clear those ditches or do maintenance on them.
Carolyn Ryall, manager of transportation and operations, said the cables could be impacted by the city’s annual ditch maintenance program.
Kennedy said the city is waiting for Rogers to come forward with where they are going to put the cables in.
Satellite internet also an option
Ward 8 Coun. John Paul Danko asked city staff if StarLink, a company that provides satellite high-speed internet, isn’t a better choice for rural residents than expanding the fibre optic network into the rural areas in Hamilton.
McMeekin pointed out that many of his rural constituents likely don’t know what StarLink is, and that providing fibre optic connections to rural areas is a more long-term solution.
“Economic development happens when those who are interested in taking creative ideas and using them to add some value to the community we live in can communicate. If that opportunity isn’t as available in rural areas as in urban areas, we should be rushing to make that not so,” he said.
