FMCC Member Western James Bay Telecom Network Wins DeBeers Indigenous Partnership Award

Congratulations to FMCC member Western James Bay Telecom Network (WJBTN), which received the 2020 DeBeers Indigenous Partnership Award on August 13, 2020! The award is given out by the Timmins Chamber of Commerce each year. When it was announced that WJBTN had won, a video produced by Louis Noah from Attawapiskat was played. In the[…]

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[…]

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[…]

Pikangikum FN connects to provincial electrical grid through Wataynikaneyap Power project

INAC Press Release Pikangikum First Nation marks historic connection to provincial electrical grid through Indigenous-led Wataynikaneyap Power project Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) Dec 20, 2018 PIKANGIKUM FIRST NATION, TREATY 5 TERRITORY, ON, Dec. 20, 2018/CNW/ – The Government of Canada is committed to working in partnership with First Nations to build critical community infrastructure and invest in[…]

KNET and WJBTN access ISED funding to expand network services in remote First Nations

From .. https://www.canada.ca/en/innovation-science-economic-development/news/2018/08/rural-and-remote-communities-in-northern-ontario-will-benefit-from-faster-internet.html Rural and remote communities in northern Ontario will benefit from faster Internet Residents in six communities to get new or faster Internet access thanks to Government of Canada investment August 2, 2018 – Sioux Lookout, Ontario Internet access is more than just a convenience: communities, businesses and institutions need it to offer new services and create new[…]

WJBTN and KNET working with First Nations partners and Ontario gov’t to upgrade community networks

From https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/rural-and-northern-internet-service-gets-nearly-10m-boost-882253 Rural and northern Internet service gets nearly $10M boost Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation announces funding to improve Internet capacity in both rural Thunder Bay area and Far North communities like Fort Severn First Nation. by: Matt Vis Fort Severn First Nation Chief Paul Burke speaks at a Tuesday, April 3, 2018 news conference to[…]

Indigenous-led transmission project to connect 16 remote First Nations communities to provincial power grid

from https://www.canada.ca/en/indigenous-services-canada/news/2018/03/historic-indigenous-led-transmission-project-to-connect-16-remote-first-nations-communities-to-provincial-power-grid.html This construction project will include a First Nation owned fibre optic cable to support local community networks. Historic Indigenous-led transmission project to connect 16 remote First Nations communities to provincial power grid From Indigenous Services Canada March 22, 2018 – Thunder Bay, ON – Department of Indigenous Services Canada Access to electricity is key to[…]

Network operator, solar company partner to bring internet to First Nation communities

From http://ottawacitizen.com/telecom/network-operator-solar-company-partner-to-bring-internet-to-first-nation-communities/wcm/94ae6aa2-835c-44fa-aa89-a976b11d48c5 Network operator, solar company partner to bring internet to First Nation communities About 3 per cent of Canada’s 14.1 million households (roughly 423,000 homes) didn’t have access to broadband at the end of 2016 EMILY JACKSON Ottawa Citizen Published on: March 15, 2018 | Last Updated: March 15, 2018 6:20 PM EDT WireIE Holdings[…]

First Nation Communities in Southwestern Ontario Call for Better Broadband

First Nation Communities in Southwestern Ontario Call for Better Broadband           Beausoleil First Nation, Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, Saugeen First Nation, and Six Nations of the Grand River have become members of SouthWestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT). These valuable additions mean that SWIFT now represents the combined connectivity interests[…]

University of Vienna doctoral thesis: Indigenizing the Internet highlight KO-KNET work in remote First Nations

From Philipp Budka’s web site at http://www.philbu.net/projects.html Philipp’s dissertation project at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology of the University of Vienna investigated the creation, development, and utilization of broadband internet infrastructures, technologies, and services by indigenous people and communities in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. (Budka, P. (2017). Indigenizing the Internet: Socio-technical change, technology appropriation and digital practices in remote First Nation[…]