The federal budget was unveiled on Feb.11 with money set aside to improve Internet service in rural areas. Though the fine details are pending, one Mountain View County representative is glad to hear about the investment.
"I think anything we can do to enhance Internet service Ö is a step up,î said Mountain View County councillor Al Kemmere. "Any improvement is a good improvement.î
Kemmere, who represents the county in the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties (AAMD&C) and Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), says Internet providers need to provide equal service to rural areas as urban ones.
"What they need to do, is the main four providers, if they're going to be providing service in the urban environments, part of the condition is they have to provide Ö a significant level of service in the rural environment too,î he said.
"They can't just pick the low-hanging fruit, pick the easy service. They have to work towards providing the more difficult service too.î
For the next five years, $305 million will be invested into rural Internet service, but the government has not announced any specific details regarding projects or to which geographic areas the money will go.
Those plans will come when the government implements the budget, said Earl Dreeshen, Conservative MP for Red Deer.
Dreeshen said the funds are a response to concerns from constituents who live in underserved areas and want faster, more reliable coverage from their Internet providers.
"But there's still a lot of areas that are having difficulties at this point in time and so this is what they're (the government) looking at and once they've got the details, we'll be able to talk to the industry, talk to individuals and see just what the specific needs are going to be,î said Dreeshen.
Kemmere says he lives about eight kilometres from Olds but his Internet source is through a Telus "air card,î not a traditional provider.
"The further you get out, the more challenge you have providing service to the rural people to a point where some people just don't have adequate service at all,î said Kemmere.
There have been concerns in the past that telecom companies were buying spectrum licences but not using them. Last year, the government declared it would take back those licences if wireless carriers did not use them.
The minimum speed the government is targeting for rural communities is five megabits per second. However, there is no timeline for that to be achieved.
"Well, I think it's a goal we're moving towards,î said Blake Richards, MP for the Wild Rose riding. "Details, again, how the program is rolled out and how the money is going to be spent, will come in the days ahead but obviously that's the goal to see better access for rural parts of the country and in the north as well.î
Kemmere says that improving service will allow farmers and business people in rural communities to use the Internet more effectively.
"From a residential point of view in our county and a business point of view, it allows our people to have access to the information that everybody else takes for granted,î said Kemmere.
