Item - 2024.EX18.5

The Executive Committee:

1.  Directed the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, and the Chief Technology Officer, Technology Services to coordinate efforts through the Human Services Integration Office to facilitate and promote enrollment in digital equity subsidies and supports for all eligible Torontonians, and include a progress update in the ConnectTO second quarter of 2025 report to City Council.

This interim report on the ConnectTO Program provides information on the City-owned fibre internet infrastructure inventory, including a comparative jurisdictional analysis, historical context, and what is required for City Council to assess the feasibility of establishing a City-owned fibre network. A full program update will be presented at City Council in the second quarter of 2025.

As directed by City Council, City staff conducted an inventory of City-owned fibre across all City divisions, and twelve agencies and corporations to identify existing fibre, and to determine its suitability for the purposes of supporting a municipal fibre network.

The results show that the City does not own fibre. City agencies and/or corporations currently own 464.3 km of fibre infrastructure, all of which is unavailable for repurposing as a network for the delivery of internet services as it has limited capacity and is used to support critical infrastructure and operations. Toronto Hydro, through its subsidiary Toronto Hydro Telecom, previously owned approximately 500 km of municipal fibre that provided City Agencies, Boards and Commissions a favourable competitive rate for fibre access and network services, and was sold in 2008 for $200 million, approved by City Council (see Attachment 1 – Decision History and Attachment 2 – City of Toronto Fibre Network Historical Context).  

Building a municipal fibre network would first require a feasibility study to establish: if a build would be possible, deliver sufficient return on investment and provide public value; and whether a proof of concept should be pursued. The feasibility study is unfunded and would require prioritization in future budgets. Costing and other details would be determined by the feasibility study. A significant investment would likely be required to build a municipal fibre network.