Broadband access has been identified as a key priority for both residents and businesses by the District and the Muskoka Economic Recovery Task Force (MERTF). Several federal and or provincial funding programs are anticipated, including the one recently announced by the federal government.
To help position Muskoka to take best advantage of these broadband funding programs, MERTF is working with partners to identify needs through speed testing and gap analysis. To help with that work, the Task Force is encouraging all residents and business owners in Muskoka to test the speeds of their current internet service using a tool available at https://www.engagemuskoka.ca/broadband
“The District recognizes that access to broadband is an essential service for our area as it enables local communities to develop, attract, retain and expand job creating businesses,” said Chair Klinck. “We also must ensure that all Muskoka families have access to high-quality, affordable internet service to meet their children’s online learning and training needs.”
“Speed testing is an important data point to help planners understand and profile the District’s broadband capability,” said David Sword, MERTF Lead “Speed test data can also help further any future applications for broadband funding assistance from the Federal and Provincial Governments.”
Residents and businesses can use the test tool to measure actual internet speed at their properties (the speed to both upload and download data) and are encouraged to take several speed tests to capture the variation in speed associated with different times of day.
For more information about the internet speed testing and broadband gap analysis work underway, please visit https://www.engagemuskoka.ca/broadband and sign up for updates.
How am I supposed to test my speed if I don’t have broadband available to start with?
Starlink is the solution for rural internet. Available next year. Works from anywhere. 150 Mbps and 40 ms latency so far by beta testers. Google Starlink.