In a statement to the Legislative Assembly today, I provided a summary of the broadband internet survey I conducted in my riding over the last two months. Below you will find that statement, including a breakdown of the results from my survey.

Speaker, over the last 2 months I have engaged residents of Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston in a broadband internet survey.

Multiple questions allowed them to identify:

• What their upload and download speed is;
• What they pay for their internet service;
• Who they are getting their service from; and
• their satisfaction.

Here’s what we heard:

• Over 1300 people have responded and over 93% are not getting the minimum speeds mandated by the federal government;
• More than half are paying between $150 and $300 a month;
• Almost half no longer have a landline, and rely on voice over internet or cell phones;
• Over a quarter run their businesses or work from home, making broadband a necessity.

Speaker, the survey tells us that the more rural you are, the less you get and the more you pay. Even at this high cost, over 98% of residents have internet; it is clear that broadband is a necessity in the 21st Century.

The government has made a commitment to improve broadband in rural Ontario, but for this to happen Hydro One must be more efficient and permit fiber optic cables on their poles which will allow rural Ontario to be truly open for business.

Survey Results: