Access to the internet is important to our families, farms and businesses. Getting broadband service to every rural address has been an ongoing challenge, but things are changing rapidly. Below are some of the tools and resources we can offer to support connectivity and digital literacy.
Cyber Security in Agriculture Workshops: Agriculture is becoming increasingly high-tech, and during the last year of lockdowns many local farms took their businesses online for the first time to offer virtual farm gate sales. With this growing connectivity comes the responsibility of managing more data, as well as increased risk of being vulnerable to cybersecurity threats. Stay tuned for workshop dates.
Connectivity Guidebook for Rural Ontario: We know that even with an internet connection, keeping up with technology and all it offers can be difficult. To build a common starting place, the County of Wellington and Wilton Consulting Group have complied a Connectivity Guidebook. This is available in electronic form (PDF), or you can request a paper copy by contacting Economic Development.
SWIFT, is a regional broadband expansion project initiated by the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus and delivered in partnership with member municipalities, including the County of Wellington, Government of Ontario and Government of Canada, which is committed to improving access to high-speed internet services across Southwestern Ontario.
Focused on enabling greater digital equality between rural and urban populations, SWIFT subsidizes the construction of open-access high-speed networks to encourage service providers to expand broadband infrastructure in underserved rural areas.
As of 2022 they have serviced 4,116 km of road, invested $268 million in infrastructure dollars and have provided service to 63,254 locations. You can track progress across Southern Ontario and the Township of Wellington North on the SWIFT website.