More high speed in the district

Hilton Beach and a host of other parts of St. Joseph Island could have real high speed Internet very soon, says Wilf Lefrense, executive director of Algoma District Community Network (ADnet).

A decision is expected from the Supreme Court of Canada this month on whether or not Bell Canada can spend money it charged people living in urban areas for broadband services on infrastructure for rural customers.

If that decision goes in Bell's favour, then most people living in Algoma district will have a real shot at getting broadband access by December 2011.

Lefrense joined Sault MP Tony Martin at his office today for a media conference to explain a new government program that offers significant incentives for private-sector Internet carriers to offer services in rural communities.

"It's a good program and we're supporting it," said Lefrense.

He told reporters that there are areas the program won't be offered in, though.

Those would be areas designated in 1999 by the CRTC as deferral account areas, Lefrense said.

They are places set aside for the crown corporation, Bell Canada, to develop under agreements that opened the telecommunications industry in Canada to competition.

Under those agreements, Bell also set aside money it charged customers in urban areas to set up their high-speed networks.

In 2005, Bell decided it would use that money to set up high-speed networks for its rural customers, too.

"Work had already begun on some projects, like the one out by the airport, where you can still see cables hanging from the poles waiting to be strung," said Lefrense. "Another area on the list for broadband right away was St. Joseph Island."

But a group of Bell customers got together and launched a class action lawsuit against the company, saying it overcharged them and they wanted their money back.

They were granted an injunction to stop work on the projects while the case was before the courts.

It's gone all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada with Bell winning all decisions unanimously, but the proponents refuse to drop the suit, Martin said.

"If they win they will see maybe $40 or $50 each, probably less," said Lefrense.

If Bell wins, St. Joseph Island residents could see work begin on their broadband DSL network as early as six months from the decision, he said.

The airport area could see work undwerway in three weeks.

About 35,000 to 40,000 people living in the district are not in deferral account areas and not on the radar for Bell development of high-speed internet access networks, Lefrense said.

These are the areas that will be covered under a new rural broadband program announced recently, Martin said.

The program, called Broadband Canada: Connecting Rural Canadians, offers financial incentives to companies already running broadband networks to expand into rural areas.

Lefrense cautioned that companies wishing to access federal and provincial funding available to set up rural networks will have to show they have a plan to operate the networks for at least five years once they are installed.

He also said he thought 2011 was an ambitious but possible deadline to provide all the services that need to be provided.

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