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[…]

Community-owned & operated Broadband: Rural Spark Podcast

Select the PLAY link at the link above or DIY Broadband: a solution for remote communities? onRural Spark Learn how some remote communities are becoming their own internet service providers. https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/diy-broadband-a-solution-for-remote-communities/id1449859399?i=1000437617949

Fort Severn First Nation Satellite Broadband Upgrade a Relief for the Community

From http://knet.ca/content/fort-severn-first-nation-satellite-broadband-upgrade-relief-community – Submitted by alvinfiddler on Thu, 2019-02-14 Ontario’s most northern remote First Nation has completed a broadband upgrade that has made a real impact. Everyday services are affected by broadband speeds, not just email and web browsing. Fort Severn First Nation is located 715km north of Sioux Lookout and uses satellite broadband for access to health[…]

Empowerment through Connectivity: 2018 Indigenous Connectivity Summit Community Report

From https://www.internetsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2018-Indigenous-Connectivity-Summit-Community-Report_EN.pdf Recommendations to ensure access for all One of the biggest connectivity challenges in Canada, for those who have access, is that its broadband prices are among the highest in the world. When the CRTC declared all Canadian households should have high-speed broadband as a basic telecommunications service in 2016, it called on the[…]

Northwestel asks feds to consider operating costs for infrastructure investments

Company president Curtis Shaw made the statements to standing committee in November From https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/northwestel-connect-to-innovate-1.4960892by Sara Frizzell · CBC News · Last Updated: January 3 Northwestel began offering 15 mbps internet in September 2018. (Travis Burke/CBC) Northwestel asked the federal government to consider the “unique characteristics” of northern operating costs when making decisions on major infrastructure investments. Company president Curtis Shaw spoke at a[…]

Court finds constitutionally protected Treaty Right to resource revenue sharing

Robinson-Huron Treaty wins historic victory for First Nations From http://anishinabeknews.ca/2018/12/25/historic-victory-for-first-nations-court-finds-constitutionally-protected-treaty-right-to-resource-revenue-sharing/ SUDBURY (December 24, 2018)–168 years after signing the Robinson-Huron Treaty, the calls from former and current Anishinabek Chiefs for the Crown to fulfill its Treaty promise to share the resource revenue of the Treaty territory have finally been heard. “We are so pleased that the[…]

First Mile partners featured in this year’s Global Information Society Watch report on Community Networks

First Mile partners featured in this year’s Global Information Society Watch report on Community Networks as the Canadian contribution. The chapter is found at https://www.giswatch.org/node/6034 and can be downloaded at https://giswatch.org/sites/default/files/gw2018_canada_0.pdf From https://www.giswatch.org/community-networks Global Information Society Watch Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch) is a collaborative community committed to building an open, inclusive and sustainable information society. 2018[…]

Social Finance program receives $805M investment from federal gov’t

From https://ccednet-rcdec.ca/en/new-in-ced/2018/11/22/government-canada-invests-805m-social-finance Government of Canada Invests $805M in Social Finance Posted: November 22, 2018 Since the creation of a Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy for Canada was included in the 2015 Ministerial mandate letters, the federal government has taken steps to develop a strategy, culminating in the release last August of the recommendations of the Co-Creation[…]

Northern remote communities partner with academics to test mobile mesh networking technology

From https://news.uoguelph.ca/2018/11/u-of-g-computer-scientists-part-of-2-13-million-project-to-improve-data-sharing-in-northern-remote-places/ U of G Computer Scientists Part of $2.13-Million Project to Improve Data Sharing in Northern, Remote Places Friday, November 2, 2018 Nic Durish It’s called Canada’s digital divide, one that University of Guelph researchers aim to help bridge. Improving communications, information-sharing and health and environmental monitoring through better mobile connectivity in Northern and remote[…]