By Crystal Gail Fraser and Mark Buell “An Act Respecting Indigenous Languages has good intentions, but we can’t ignore a critical piece of the puzzle missing from its fine print. Bill C-91’s goal to protect, promote and revitalize the nearly 90 Indigenous languages left in Canada can’t be fully realized until rural, remote and northern[…]
ONE WEEK LEFT before submissions are due .. From their web site at https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/110.nsf/eng/home .. The Panel is committed to providing relevant, practical and implementable recommendations to government and invites written submissions in response to its review of the Canadian Communications Legislative Framework. In response to comments from several parties, the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review[…]
First Mile Connectivity Consortium executive board members, Susan O’Donnell (Vice-President) and Brian Beaton (Treasurer), met with two members of the Review of the Canadian Communications Legislative Framework Panel. The meeting took place in Halifax on Wednesday, Oct 3 and included two secretariat members from the two federal departments responsible for these communication legislative acts, ISED and[…]
The First Mile work in First Nations across Canada (http://firstmile.ca) was well represented at Congress 2017 during the week long event held at Ryerson University in Toronto the week of May 27 to June 2. At the Association for Nonprofit and Social Economy Research (ANSER), Rob was a member of a panel presenting the chapter he[…]
The Arctic Broadband Forum 2017 brought together educators, researchers and industry from across the World to discuss the challenges, successes and potential of telecommunications and broadband deployment in the Arctic. Specific emphasis was placed on the role of broadband and digital technologies on the cultural preservation and self-determination of indigenous populations throughout the Arctic. The forum[…]
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[…]
In response to Saadia Muzaffar’s opinion piece on CBC’s web site at http://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/broadband-basic-service-1.3913627 –What good is declaring broadband a ‘basic service’ without regulating retail prices? Without affordability thresholds, there’s no guarantee that access in vulnerable communities will improve .. Brian Beaton wrote this First Mile response: IT IS THE FIRST STEP in a very long process .. It has taken[…]
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[…]
The Mi’kmaq-Wolastoqey Centre (MWC) and the First Nations Innovation (FNI) research project at the University of New Brunswick teamed up to produce a SSHRC-funded Knowledge Synthesis report entitled: Supporting Indigenous Language and Cultural Resurgence with Digital Technologies David Perley, Director of MWC and Susan O’Donnell, lead investigator of the FNI led the production of this report.[…]
Good afternoon! I’m excited to announce that last night, the First Mile Connectivity Consortium and First Nations Innovation project received an Award of Excellence (Aboriginal Category) from the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. Here’s the text from the Award Program: Working together to change digital policy to support Indigenous broadband at the First Mile, First Mile Connectivity[…]