By Cheryl Jahn

Internet funding programs based on misinformation

Jan 29, 2021 | 3:56 PM

VANDERHOOF – Modern business depends on being able to connect with clients and customers. The COVID pandemic has highlighted that need, with so many working from home.

With that in mind, the federal government has established the $250-million Universal Broadband Fund. But the mapping system under which the fund is handled is wrong.

“When you go and drill down on the map that they use, it’ll show Vanderhoof as a community that has 50-megabyte download and 10-megabyte upload. So [the map’s] showing that we have high-speed internet,” explains Vanderhoof Councillor Brian Frenkel. “But we know that’s not the case.”

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is aware of the issue. But the federal government has its own set of challenges in trying to ensure high-speed internet to all Canadians.

“It’s really hard to find out what level of service you’ve got because we have such a mix of service providers,” says Garth Frizzell, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. “We’ve got some satellite, we’ve got private, we’ve got publicly-owned. And some of the private companies aren’t all that public with how much service they’re providing.”

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But it becomes very challenging to municipalities who hope to access funds to improve internet services.

“You’ve got high-speed internet. The map says so,” is how Frenkel describes the response. “So whoever provided the data for that map, it may be, for whatever reason, inaccurate.”

He says, communities like Vanderhoof should follow the direction of communities in places like the Kootenays, where they have tracked their speeds to present to government when funding opportunities arise.

by Cheryl Jahn

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Internet funding programs based on misinformation

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