By Adam Ophus

council update

First big step towards high-speed internet in Clearwater County

May 26, 2020 | 5:45 PM

Clearwater County has taken its first big step toward bringing high-speed internet to its residents.

Council has given the go-ahead to new pilot project that will bring a fibre-optic backbone network from an interconnection point in Rocky Mountain House to the Ferrier Acres region.

It was in February 2018 that Council adopted a municipal broadband policy to provide internet accessibility to the majority of County residents and businesses.

The goal of the new pilot project is to utilize the Connect to Innovate (CTI) federal grant and partner with qualified firms to build the fiber-optic backbone and provide internet services to the area.

The CTI is a country wide program that intends to invest up to $500 million by the end of the year to bring high-speed internet to rural and remote communities in Canada.

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After evaluating multiple firms, the County chose Lite Access Technologies Inc. and its partners IBI Group and O-NET/OLDS Fiber Limited for the broadband service delivery near Ferrier Acres.

Administration noted that there were possibly a few locations on route that could also be eligible, and that the route could be altered depending on the final design.

The initial project is only intended to get a fibre-optics to the area and that they’re unsure at this point of how plausible it would be to run Fiber to each home.

As a suggestion for a workaround for some residents, administration commented that a Hyper WiMAX tower could be put up, providing high-speed internet for homes up to 40 or more kilometres away with only near line-of-sight required as a cheaper option.

Deputy Reeve Michelle Swanson suggested that with the current health crisis and more people working from home, high speed internet is a basic need and that they should pressure their MP’s and MLA’s to get some expedient help for the project sooner than later.

The total cost of the initial pilot project is estimated to be $998,000 with the CTI grant covering $371,288 of that portion.

Councillor Cammie Laird noted that she wanted strong public engagement when she stated “This is only the first leg of what will be a mammoth project,” in reference to the millions of dollars and years of work it would take to bring broadband to the County.

Council approved moving forward by a 6-1 vote.