In this day and age, staying connected has become a necessity. With the majority of Canadians working from behind their computer screens at home, fast and reliable internet is a must have for families.

The Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) is requesting approximately 200 million dollars from both the federal and provincial governments for the “EORN Gig Project”. 

This project proposes to build new fibre optic cables to service homes and businesses that cannot get reliable internet in Eastern Ontario.

Thomas Stockting of TVC22 speaks with EORN representative J. Murray Jones, and MP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russel to discuss what the project will bring to the region.

The interview begins with Jones giving a proper definition of EORN and it’s values, saying that it essentially represents the taxpayers of Eastern Ontario and it is in place to generate support and funding from the different levels of government to provide connectivity to communities of Eastern Ontario.

In terms of the project, Jones talks about how it could approximately take up to 5 years to complete from whenever it starts, and that the project parameters are exceeding the CRTC’s (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) recommendation of 50MB/s to do away with any need for multiple upgrades for the next 20-30 years. Drouin also voices his support for the project, knowing that the communities under his care need dependable internet to stay connected and stay efficient. 

When Thomas mentions that smaller, local internet providers are voicing their concerns over whether or not EORN hiring larger companies will put them out of business, Jones says that EORN is in place so that everyone has a chance to speak, and they do their best to listen to all input. Further, Eorn is here to provide the service to everyone, and any other system would result in more delays.

Drouin further explains that this project is about bringing connectivity to Eastern Ontario on a larger scale, and that he is not sure if smaller providers could accomplish the task on the scope that is needed. With this being said, smaller providers will support the larger providers by connecting families in more remote areas that the larger companies are not as equipped to handle.

In response to Satellite internet being an option for people who can’t wait for this project, Jones says that fibre optic cables are more reliable, and will be for the foreseeable future. Although, Jones does mention that the technology may be implemented in harder to reach regions of Eastern Ontario as an alternative.

The interview closes with Drouin assuring taxpayers that this is a priority, and that everyone on both sides is working hard to get the project on the ground.