County broadband plan progressing

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Wheatland County is furthering its plan for providing broadband internet services, including surveys for both residents and businesses.

During the county council meeting on Feb. 2, an update to the county’s broadband project was provided by Amanda Garner of Tricon Solutions, the consultant on the project.

A strategic plan is being developed to align the project with priorities set by council. The project team is considering similar plans developed throughout North America to help the process.

Two surveys are also being conducted, one for residents and another for businesses. They are available through Wheatland County’s website (wheatlandcounty.ca/broadband-survey).

These surveys will provide key information to direct the county’s work on the issue, said Reeve Amber Link.

“The (survey) data will be key, I think, for knowing where we are and where we need to go,” she said, adding an increased reliance on online services, partly driven by the pandemic, have shown the importance of high-speed internet. “It is a top priority. I think between educational demands, work from home, telehealth – it is huge.”

During the meeting, county council also considered a request for a letter of support by Xplornet Communications Inc. for their application to grant funding to the Universal Broadband Fund (UBF). This $1.75 billion fund is a federal initiative to support broadband infrastructure projects to bring high-speed internet to rural communities. A goal for UBF projects is to improve connectivity to at least the universal service objective, referring to a speed of 50 megabytes per second (mbs) down (for downloads), and 10 mps up (for uploads).

Xplornet is proposing a hybrid fibre and wireless network to provide service to customers, including satellite services for remote areas, according to a published correspondence from Graham Fleet, senior manager of government and public affairs Alberta at the company. This network would also serve as the basis for future 5G service for residents and customers.

Council discussions about Xplornet’s proposal were held in camera. However, following the discussions, county council passed a motion to provide a letter to Xplornet in support of their proposal to the federal government. 

“Anything that can contribute to improving connectivity in the county, I think we can support,” said Link, adding that council would be fair and consistent by also supporting any other companies coming forth with similar proposals to provide broadband services.