Blog

The R2B2 project team within the University of Guelph’s School of Environmental Design and Rural Development has been conducting participatory action research on regional and rural broadband development and deployment in Southwestern Ontario. 

Barriers to digital inclusion in rural Southwestern Ontario are not only due to connectivity problems associated with distance from urban areas or physical isolation, but also because uptake of existing and prospective technologies is influenced by diverse economic and social needs. 

The R2B2 project team held a day-long symposium in April 2016 at the University of Guelph. This event provided an opportunity for stakeholders to reflect on preliminary results of the R2B2 project, to present emerging initiatives, such as the South-Western Integrated Fibre Telecommunications network and to provide recommendations to those involved in action research processes for regional and rural broadband in Southwestern Ontario. The symposium concluded that regional and rural broadband in Southwestern Ontario brings social, environmental and economic benefits to the wider province, nation as well as internationally. The future is clear – investments in regional and rural broadband are essential to making Ontario a global leader not just in agriculture and agri-food, but to realize a wide range of economic and social opportunities enabled through digital technologies and connected communities.

This guest blog provided by the University of Guelph’s School of Environmental Design and Rural Development.