"A huge step forward."
That's how Amherstburg Mayor Aldo DiCarlo is describing Bell Canada's plan to bring high-speed fibre internet to every home in the town.
DiCarlo says there won't be any cost to the taxpayer as Bell is picking up the bill for the project which is expected to cost more than $12-million.
He says Bell has stepped up to the plate in a big way.
"Unbelievable for the Town of Amherstburg. It's something we were looking at doing ourselves because we couldn't quite get any interest like most municipalities around. So we're happy, we're excited, we're proud to say that we were able to work with Bell and get, not just fibre to the home, but fibre to the farm."
DiCarlo says Bell has made a commitment that no rural customer will be left out.
"They have worked in other municipalities, but the bulk of those municipalities are large cities. This is fairly new for them. We gave them a proposal, an option let's say, and we came to an agreement. Not only are we getting a commitment, those people connected to fibre are going to have up to a gigabyte."
Bell Canada Senior Manager Calvin DeLeavey says urban and rural customers will get the same service.
"That's what we're trying to do. We're definitely trying to hit every customer. We know it's a very ambitious endeavour, but we are going to find some kind of approach that we'll be able to offer some kind of service that's way better than what anyone would have today."
DeLeavey says they'll be breaking new ground in Amherstburg.
"I'd say it's a trend setter in the fact that we're looking to go border to border which is something that we've probably done before, but this community is very rural. So we know there's going to be some interesting approaches required. However, we're looking at that. We're looking at any way we can to make sure it happens."
Bell Canada representatives speak with Amherstburg Council (Photo by AM800's Zander Broeckel)
DiCarlo says, up until now, South Western Integrated Fibre Technology or the SWIFT initiative was the town's only option.
"Like most municipalities, our other options were stuff like SWIFT. The SWIFT initiative, I don't mind saying, is not very swift as far as we're concerned. Twenty to thirty years on technology that's already getting older is just not acceptable for the Town of Amherstburg."
DeLeavey says Amherstburg, Essex Power and Hydro One have all been very receptive to the plan.
"The Town of Amherstburg has been tremendous I think. If they hadn't been this cooperative, I don't know if we'd be here tonight. Certainly have been very open to us coming in. We've worked together. I can't say enough about that. There's Essex Power, Hydro One, great companies to work with."
DiCarlo adds, while the town won't be making any monetary contribution to the project, it has agreed to provide any resources needed to expedite the process.
Bell will begin work in the spring of next year with the entire installation expected to take 18 to 24 months.