Despite the rather unprecedented level of public participation in a local survey that clearly indicated a preference to pursue broadband, a couple of councillors were ready to pull the plug on the project.
Whereas council has in the past carried motions based on surveys that had as few as a dozen replies, local officials recently heard that more than 600 responses were generated regarding the perceived need for broadband. Of those residents who answered, a clear majority favoured deploying the high-speed Internet infrastructure.
So to abort any further investigation into the potential for broadband at this point would have been premature. Especially after all of the progress that has been made to date.
Considering the next step involved zero capital dollars, abandoning the study now would have really ensured all the funds spent to date were for naught.
While the municipality must irrefutably prioritize and plan for other crucial capital planning such as for example the sewage lagoon, streets, and sidewalks, broadband in this day and age is also part of the big picture. Revenue generated from a community-owned network in the long run could potentially even be allocated to repairing roads and undergrounds works.
The oft-cited CRTC mandate that declared broadband a basic service does not guarantee the government will come along and benevolently install the infrastructure ó in fact in its recent announcement the commission made clear that would not be the case as it could never afford to deploy everywhere in Canada, hence the need to instead find local solutions.
Besides, leaving ourselves at the mercy of any major telecom should not even be considered an option. Sundre is already far enough behind in modern digital communications. Waiting on the whim of a billion-dollar giant whose investment sights are set on far more lucrative returns will essentially condemn this community to remaining firmly stuck in the digital dark age for the foreseeable future.
I've said it before, but I'll say it again.
As a taxpayer who wants to see this community thrive, I would much rather invest our dollars into the municipality ó make no mistake, this is an investment, simply a long-term one ó than make even wealthier obscenely overpaid CEOs who could not possibly care any less about us.
Personally, I could not agree more with Coun. Chris Vardas, who said future capital projects to repair or replace sidewalks and streets should include in the design plans conduits that could over time greatly reduce the cost of installing underground broadband and facilitating the infrastructure's eventual deployment.
"You got to be forward thinking," he said.
Precisely!
Sometimes, the risk is worth the reward. It is not as though we are talking about some flash hype such as the fidget wheels that will no doubt disappear in a few weeks until the next neat gizmo comes along.
The trend over the past few decades is undeniable. Demand for high-speed Internet is growing exponentially. Especially among businesses that have no option but to waste time and productivity ó which in commerce we all know means money ó on deplorable speeds and service.
Allowing that train to leave the station without reserving a ticket lacks vision, so I'm glad a majority of council felt further investigation was warranted.
