Christian Gammon-Roy
Tribune
West Nipissing residents in the more rural parts of the community may be getting some newer, faster internet options soon. As part of a provincial expansion of high-speed internet infrastructure, residents who did not previously have the option for high-speed or fibre are finally seeing lines added to their neighbourhoods. According to West Nipissing Mayor Kathleen Thorne Rochon, the municipality has been in talks with Cogeco Connexion Inc. since January 2024 regarding local infrastructure expansions that could provide roughly 1,300 new households with high-speed internet. She adds that the expansion work is set to tentatively end by March of next year.
“You’ll be able to get high-speed fibre internet, and tv service. For those of us that are on a Shaw dish or a Bell dish, or who are on Starlink or Xplore, the pricing should be very similar to what Cogeco offers for its internet and TV packages,” Thorne Rochon describes, adding that the expansion includes a section of Sturgeon Falls where she lives, and which currently doesn’t have high-speed coverage. Considering her excitement at seeing this project at her own home, she is sure that other residents will be equally pleased to see new service options.
While the infrastructure work is currently ongoing, Thorne Rochon wants residents to know that they may be getting a knock on their door from someone from Cogeco installing the new lines, asking if they want to run a line to their house. “They are legit, this is happening right now,” she assures, adding that they just recently came to her door. “Also, for those people looking at spending $600 on their Starlink system, if you can hold out until March, you might have a more competitive rate,” she points out.
