Prof. Helen Hambly Odame, of the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, appeared on TVO’s The Agenda Tuesday night to discuss the issue of broadband internet access in rural and remote regions.

Broadband is still a long way away from being equally available across Ontario. Its absence is most often felt in rural, agricultural-based areas, where the internet has become an intrinsic part of food and agricultural innovation.

Prof. Hambly Odame discussed why full, equitable access is so important to help Ontario recover economically from the pandemic, while The Agenda panel examined the challenges inherent in making full access happen.

Hambly Odame studies communication and information for agricultural innovation and community development and leads the Regional and Rural Broadband (R2B2) project.

She will present a similar topic to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) next week, drawing attention to recent work on environmental benefits of telecommunications, with the tagline of “Build back better with broadband.”