FMCC Member Broadband Communications North will receive $9.9 million from CRTC Broadband Fund

Congratulations to the Broadband Communications North (BCN) team in Manitoba for securing funding to connect Tadoule Lake, Barren Lands, Lac Brochet, Pukatawagan, and Shamattawa! This is among the first funded projects announced through the CRTC Broadband Fund — Phase 1 was for satellite broadband projects anywhere and broadband projects in Yukon, NWT and Nunavut. CBC[…]

Building Community WiFi in Maskwacis, AB

Members of Maskwacis First Nation in Alberta can now access free WiFi, thanks to the efforts of local tech entrepreneur Bruce Buffalo. Visit the website for Mamawapowin Technology Society Bruce has developed a system that offers four free access points in his community. Community members can connect to the network through a web-based gateway, which[…]

Guiding Canada’s Future Investment in Rural Infrastructure – Presentation to Senate Committee

Guiding Canada’s Future Investment in Rural Infrastructure A presentation was recently delivered to the Senate Committee on National Finance regarding rural infrastructure investment. The Senate Committee has been studying the design and delivery of the government’s infrastructure commitment, and has asked for comments to address the effects of future infrastructure investments on rural development in Canada. The[…]

FMCC Press Release on CRTC Decision supporting First Nations Digital Innovation

First Mile Connectivity Consortium PO Box 104 Fredericton, NB E3B 4Y2 http://www.firstmile.ca Telephone toll free: 1-877-737-5638 extension 4522 Click here for a French copy of the press release PDF of this FMCC press release Also posted in NATIONTALK.ca FMCC Media Release New CRTC ‘Basic Service Objective’ Decision Supports First Nations Digital Innovation December 22, 2016[…]

Cat Lake First Nation stays connected working with KNET, NICSN, KMOBILE after Bell CO fire

The CBC.ca news story about the fire at the Bell Central Office in Cat Lake First Nation is a great example of the importance of First Mile telecom work by the community (see http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/cat-lake-no-phones-1.3805425). After the fire, Cat Lake leaders worked with KNET (see http://knet.ca) to get their C-Band satellite earth station operating again using the[…]

Resources about First Nations Community Networks

Read more about First Nations Community Networks and Aboriginal-led broadband development projects in Canada French Publication #35-F Read more than 70 stories of First Nations community broadband development located on this website Explore these stories on a Google Map that shows their distribution across Canada Digital Divides and the ‘First Mile’: Framing First Nations Broadband[…]

Tyendinaga takes control of the First Mile

First Mile Field Notes : Tyendinaga takes control of the First Mile By Rob McMahon, Kevin Maracle and Chris Maracle Note: This is an introduction to Tyendinaga’s First Mile connectivity story – in the coming months, community-produced videos will offer more detail of the history of community-driven technology development in Tyendinaga… High-speed broadband fibre runs[…]

Ginwat Cable-TV — a First Mile project from 1999

Chisasibi – Quebec Friday, 8 August 2014, 03:55 PM *This article was originally published in Cablecaster Magazine in June 1999. It is reprinted from the author’s personal website with his permission. Read the original version here* By Hyman Glustein To Canadian city-dwellers looking at a highway map of northern Quebec, Chisasibi is the end of[…]

Technology and education in Kahnawake

Kahnawake – Quebec Wednesday, 11 June 2014, 10:30 AM This video shows how teachers and other educational staff working in the Mohawk community of Kahnawake use technology. The video features interviews from people working in the community schools. It was produced with the Kahnawake Education Centre(KEC) with funding from the First Nations Innovation Project. According[…]

K’atl’odeeche First Nation Fiber Optic Construction (2011)

K’atl’odeeche First Nation – Northwest Territories Tuesday, 29 October 2013, 05:16 PM In 2011, Katlodeeche First Nation completed the construction of its local broadband fiber optic network. This video documents the project. They were shot on location and edited by KFN’s IT Project Manager, Lyle Fabian. Watch part 2 of the video here, on YouTube.[…]