Spotlight: High speed Internet a no-brainer
Theresa Seraphim
for Spotlight
A few years ago, there was a TV commercial featuring the Slowskys, an animatronic turtle couple complaining that broadband Internet service was too fast. While it made one smile at the facetiousness involved, it also made one wonder why on earth anyone would choose dialup Internet over high speed.
Choosing it or not, there are still 72,000 households in Alberta that are on dialup, according to the province. Perhaps some of them don’t mind it, but most people, one suspects, eventually get tired of waiting for images to download, not being able to send some emails because there’s not enough broadband width, and having to tie up the phone line to be able to use their computer.
Now those households have a chance to get high speed Internet through the Final Mile Rural Connectivity Initiative, a provincial $5 million endeavour designed to “ensure reliable, high speed Internet is available to at least 98 per cent of Albertans,” says a government news release.
The program invites municipalities, First Nations bands and Metis settlements planning to provide high-speed Internet in their communities to apply for provincial funds to support or expedite their plans.
Premier Alison Redford seemed to recognize that providing high-speed Internet to every community is a no-brainer when she said, “All Albertans should have access to high-speed Internet. For our rural communities it’s essential to future economic competitiveness and vitality.”
And Minister of Agriculture Evan Berger outlined some of the benefits when he said, “This is about kids who want to research homework, families that want to stay connected and farmers and ranchers who want to market their products.” (And the fact that Family Literacy Day occurs this week, as well, makes the announcement even more timely, as the computer, in addition to its many other uses, has also become a tool for literacy.)
All one can say is, it’s about time. Dialup Internet is so far in the past that nobody, anywhere, should have to use it. Although it is better than no Internet service at all (as those who remember the pre-Internet days could attest), with today’s high levels of connectivity, high speed is the way to go, for everyone.
This is especially true for rural businesses (as Berger pointed out), as it will help them do their tasks much more quickly and much more easily stay in touch with customers, suppliers and other stakeholders.
This increase in viability can only benefit the province as a whole, not only increasing revenue but also putting Alberta more in the forefront of business endeavours.
The Final Mile Rural Connectivity Initiative will provide funds to municipalities (as defined in the Municipal Government Act), band (as defined in the Indian Act) or Metis settlement.
The program will ultimately pay 75 per cent of the cost, with the rest being borne by the applying group. More information is available at www.rural.alberta.ca
While the Slowskys may not like the idea, Albertans can rejoice – we are now totally in the 21st century.
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