Stakeholders not worried by Ontario’s delay of total broadband connectivity

The Ontario government’s announcement that it will not hit its December 2025 deadline of connecting everyone in the province to broadband did not come as a surprise to all industry watchers. It had long been regarded by some as a fanciful goal, especially after the cancellation of the government’s contract with Space Exploration Technologies Corp.’s (SpaceX) Starlink satellite service. The new goal is 2028. One of those affected is Joe Hickey, president of Rock Networks Inc. It has been working on projects in northern Ontario for years. He predicted this summer that the target date would not be reached. He maintains that coordination with power utility service Hydro One was one factor in the delay. “There was too much work in the make-ready side of the ledger, like attaching to the poles, for the amount of resources that were available to work on it,” he told The Wire Report in an interview. Susan Church is the executive director of the Blue Sky Economic Growth Corp., based in North Bay, Ont. She has long been an advocate of local internet service providers (ISPs) connecting to the last mile of broadband rollout. She, too, expected the 2025 deadline to be unfulfilled. “To be honest it’s not a disappointment,” she told The Wire Report. “It’s a thing we always knew was not going to happen.” The Ontario government is pledging to continue its work on universal connectivity. “Ontario is delivering the largest high-speed internet expansion in Canadian history with over 94 per cent of the province already connected,” Chelsea McGee, a spokeswoman for the ministry of energy and mines, emailed The Wire Report. “While the original 2025 target will not be met, many additional projects are set to be completed this year. “With rigorous oversight and reporting measures in place to ensure third parties meet their commitments to expand internet access, we are reviewing every contract and securing local alternatives if the original provider cannot deliver. We will continue to work with our municipal partners to get shovels in the ground to build critical infrastructure, connecting more homes to reliable high-speed internet—faster." Jamie West is the NDP member of the legislature for Sudbury. He was a line technician for BCE Inc.’s Bell Canada before being elected and chosen as the official Opposition critic for energy and mines. He attributes the 2025 deadline to excitement about broadband before the 2022 provincial election. “On the one hand as an Opposition member it’s tempting to say the government is not doing well,” he told The Wire Report. “But the reality is that there hasn’t been a ton of over-service in Ontario.” Drawing on his Bell days, he used the analogy of the necessity of phones in the 1950s to the need for internet connectivity today. Those without broadband links are like people still on party line phones, he said. Church blames a requirement that ISPs post a 50 per cent construction bond for connectivity under the Accelerated High Speed Internet Program (AHSIP) for some of the problems affecting the rollout. Smaller players cannot afford that amount and pass on bidding on projects. She notes that eight lots in northern Ontario were not bid on. She does not think it will take three years to roll out broadband in her region. Rock Network’s Hickey agrees, he believes the 2028 goal is the outer limit in conjunction with Hydro One. “Some will finish in 2026, some will finish in 2027, some will finish in 2028,” he stated. The Ontario government had been holding quarterly meetings with ISPs about rollout. There was a delay following this spring’s election and a government reorganization but things appear to be back on track. Hickey is happy with the progress being made. “Ontario has been a great partner for us,” he said. “Obviously when you start new projects you’re learning the ropes as we go along but the Ontario team is fully engaged.” The Starlink cancellation is not much of a factor, observers said. Hickey points out the contract would have linked 15,000 Ontarians while the broader internet fibre plan will connect three quarters of a million. “I would expect next year that they’ll start to look at the very last premises again and figure out a strategy moving forward for those customers as well,” he stated. Church, too, is dismissive of the Starlink deal’s demise. She points out that most of the connectivity projects fall under AHSIP funding while the Starlink deal was part of a separate commitment. ppark@thewirereport.ca

Stakeholders not worried by Ontario’s delay of total broadband connectivity

Telecom |
By Paul Park
|November 14, 2025

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Stakeholders not worried by Ontario’s delay of total broadband connectivity

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