Hung up on improved access
Rural Cape Breton councils working to improve lagging broadband access
Cape Breton’s rural municipalities are working together in an effort to bring improved broadband access to their residents.
Officials from the municipalities of Inverness, Victoria and Richmond Counties — including wardens, councillors, CAOs and staff — recently met with representatives of the Cape Breton Partnership in Whycocomagh to discuss the current unavailability of broadband throughout much of their municipalities. Lack of access to broadband and poor cellular service are seen as putting areas at a disadvantage when it comes to development.
A company presented some options at that meeting that could provide expanded internet service.
Inverness County has had a connectivity committee comprised of councillors looking at the problem for some time, exploring various options, noted Warden Betty Ann MacQuarrie.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have fibre op,” MacQuarrie said in an interview. “We have actually been working on making improvements in that area for the last three or four years … just to see what we could do ourselves, maybe to work with the province and other municipalities who are in the same boat as we are.”
MacQuarrie noted the Canadian government has declared universal access to internet a fundamental right.
“It’s understandable because it is the way to communicate,” she said.
One service provider had announced its intention to bring ultra high-speed service down part of Route 19 into Inverness County, which MacQuarrie said seemed promising.
“We thought, ‘Wow, this is a great start,’” and hopefully, we thought eventually it would be to go out to the rural areas,” she said.
However, it never materialized.
“Here we are, back on the track of trying to make it happen in some way, shape or form,” MacQuarrie said. They are now working on a strategy. Those who attended the Whycocomagh meeting will now go back to their respective councils seeking resolutions to move forward on the issue. MacQuarrie said her council is likely to discuss the issue at its Sept. 11 meeting.
“I’m pretty positive that they probably will make that decision because we’ve been working on it for so long, we’re just not making a whole lot of headway. People know that we are working on it and they are hopeful that we will have better internet service … and better cell phone service as well,” MacQuarrie said.