Blue Sky and beyond

Susan Church, General Manager Blue Sky Economic Growth Corporation introduces Eric Kannen, President of Spectrum 2000.

The Blue Sky Economic Growth Corporation announced Thursday that phase one of their rural Internet pilot project is complete.

The purpose of the project is to bring high speed Internet access to rural communities in the region to support development.

“It’s for business and residential really, because what happens is now it puts us on a more level playing field with other areas where people want to for example have home based business they can work from home,” Susan Church, General Manager.

Church warns while the project is moving along with better than 70 communities online that it doesn’t mean every single household is hooked up.

“There are areas where unfortunately where you can’t reach a certain house, but if there is a number of neighbours in your area that want the services well, then there is a business case to be made for Spectrum to go in and erect a small cell extender,” she says.

“But it does put us on a level playing field with urban Canada and that was the whole purpose of the program.”

Eric Kannen, President of Spectrum 2000 based in Sudbury says based on the terrain it will be impossible to satisfy every potential client but they are aiming to satisfy as many as they possibly can.

“We know it was going to be a challenge when we first started it over a year ago, and we have had some challenges of course and we haven’t been able to deliver in every location as per the original schedule but we are getting there.”

“In this particular business it is all based on topography where is your location relative to our nearest tower,” he explains.

“The further away you are from it or the higher the trees or buildings between you and the tower, then the more challenging it is for us to deliver the service.”

Church says the program is showing great success and the corporation is now extending beyond the Blue Sky Region, and building in the Muskoka Lakes area with Manatoulin Island following close behind.

“It’s an opportunity for us to move into bringing this opportunity to a very large number of communities in the North and that’s what we’ve been given a responsibility to do through industry Canada and FedNor and Northern Ontario Heritage Fund,” she says.

“It’s a privilege to be able to do that but it’s extremely complicated and unfortunately residents have to be patient as we build the network out.”