Internet service for rural communities near Kimberley will be getting a boost.
The Columbia Basin Trust has secured funding to expand the regional fibre optic network between Kimberley and Wasa, benefiting the communities of Meadowbrook and Ta Ta Creek.
CBT spokesperson Aimee Ambrosone says those communities are currently lacking the minimum internet speed intended for the country.
“This project is intended to improve services, to improve speed in those areas,” Ambrosone says. “It’s the first step in doing that because it’s bringing regional fibre to the area. It’s bringing a high speed fibre optic highway through the region. That’s the first step, the second step would be connections through wireless providers and other providers back to households.”
Meanwhile, 70 km of cable is also being installed between Fruitvale and Nelson.
The CBT hopes to finish the work by March 2024.
Ambrosone says the first step is acquiring permits for the project.
“To be able to put fibre infrastructure in place on poles or in the ground, you have to get permission from third parties,” she says. “That is the first step that we are taking, obtaining those permissions. And then construction would follow after that. The overall goal is to complete the project by March of 2024, subject to those permitting and construction timelines.”
View more information from the CBT below:
– Aimee Ambrosone, Columbia Basin Trust Executive director Delivery of Benefits
Funding of $7.6 million has been secured to expand Columbia Basin Trust’s regional fibre optic network between Fruitvale and Nelson and between Kimberley and Wasa.
Permitting and other pre-construction work on the projects will start soon, with support from federal, provincial and regional partners.
“Our goal is to help people throughout the Columbia Basin—whether farmers, students or home-based businesses—access the same level of internet service that they would in more populated areas” said Johnny Strilaeff, Columbia Basin Trust President and Chief Executive Officer. “Developing a fibre optic network between communities is the first step of many required to improve connectivity for rural households in another ten Basin communities.”
The projects will see 70 km of backbone fibre optic cable installed between Fruitvale and Nelson, benefiting the communities of Erie, Hall, Meadows, Montrose, Park Siding, Porto Rico, Salmo and Ymir; and 30 km of backbone fibre optic cable between Kimberley and Wasa, benefiting the communities of Meadowbrook and Ta Ta Creek.
“Connecting rural communities to affordable high-speed internet service has been an ongoing vision of both the Regional Connectivity Committee and our Regional District of East Kootenay Board,” said Regional District of East Kootenay Board Chair Rob Gay. “Today’s announcement moves us one step closer to achieving this goal and is an exciting step forward for the Kimberley to Wasa corridor.”
Hans Cunningham, Director of Area G in the Regional District of Central Kootenay, stated that he is extremely pleased with the extension of the fibre backbone from Fruitvale to Nelson.
“This link will provide Wi-Fi security and extra capability as it completes the tri-city loop, and will also provide high-speed Wi-Fi to the area through which it passes. It is sorely needed.”
The goal is to be finished by March 2024, subject to permitting and other factors that can impact the construction schedule.
Once completed, internet service providers can connect to the expanded network to provide services to homes.
In addition to bringing high-speed connectivity to underserved areas, households that already have high-speed service will see improved network performance and reduced internet downtime due to outages from incidents like accidental breaks in the fibre.
“Affordable and reliable high-speed internet access is so important for so many of us in Rural BC, and that’s why our government has been investing more than ever before in connectivity projects for rural communities throughout the province,” said Roly Russell, Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development. “These partnerships and investments help give our communities and our residents the potential to really thrive economically, socially and individually.”
The Trust is providing a total of $1.29 million to the two projects. Other funders include the federal Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ($4.9 million through the Broadband Fund), the provincial government ($800,000 through the Connecting British Columbia program), the Regional District of Central Kootenay ($400,000) and the Regional District of East Kootenay ($200,000).
These projects, along with the 185 km of backbone currently being built in the Slocan Valley and South Country, will bring the Trust’s fibre optic network in the Basin to 1,250 km.
Learn about the Trust’s work in broadband at broadband.ourtrust.org.
Columbia Basin Trust supports the ideas and efforts of the people in the Columbia Basin.
To learn more about the Trust’s programs and initiatives, and how it helps deliver social, economic and environmental benefits to the Basin, visit ourtrust.org.
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