Rural internet

Pictou County follows the Valley in terms of high-speed internet access

Pictou County is playing catchup in the race for high-speed broadband as Annapolis Valley communities were hailed as the world’s first “Sustainable and Smart” rural region Wednesday.

Valley mayors are attending an April 30 roundtable with the World Council on City Data to discuss investments in making their communities prosperous, sustainable, inclusive, resilient and smart.

Meantime, the Municipality of Pictou County is working with iValley on assessing what exactly their needs are for high-speed internet.

“We’re making progress on that as a first step,” said Brian Cullen, CAO for the county. “We’re not necessarily looking to reinvent the wheel here.”

He added that any solution to Pictou County’s widespread lack of broadband must be adaptable to local conditions.

But the challenges faced by poor internet service Pictou County is common in both rural Nova Scotia and Canada.

The good news for local residents frustrated by slow internet and unable to function as a result is that it can be fixed with the right investments and political will to do so, Cullen said.

“There’s a number of technologies out there, whether it’s wireless, satellite or using some direct fibre,” said Cullen. “The sky’s the limit.”

In the Valley, the WCCD is certifying its communities under ISO 37120, the first international standard for sustainable and smart communities.

If Pictou County follows this lead, the payoffs could be huge.

Valley mayors say the region’s new Sustainable and Smart designation crosses municipal boundaries and takes in the common needs and concerns of all Valley citizens.

Their new designation may also open doors for other levels of government to partner with the municipalities.

Mayors are also hopeful that their region’s competitive position in the broadband-internet field will attract future investors from across the world, as well as help current citizens and businesses.

Pictou County stands to benefit from a recent $828-million federal investment to improve rural infrastructure, including broadband internet under the Investing in Canada plan.

Similar efforts are already bearing fruit elsewhere. In Ontario, a 2016 federal-provincial investment into the SouthWestern Integrated Fibre Technology network is bringing high-speed broadband to its rural southwestern regions.

SWIFT anticipates making a $300 million commitment to connect 3.5 million people in the region this year. This organization’s goal is affordable highspeed fibre-optic internet for everyone in southwestern Ontario, Caledon and the Niagara Falls region.

As of April 2018, Ontario’s government pledged an additional $500 million over three years to connect rural and northern communities.

“There’s a number of technologies out there, whether it’s wireless, satellite or using some direct fibre. The sky’s the limit.” Brian Cullen, CAO