[ Internet Society Blog post by Crystal Fraser from April 11, 2019 ] Over 20 million people in North America lack access to fast, affordable, and reliable Internet. In October 2018, the Indigenous Connectivity Summit gathered over 150 Indigenous leaders, policymakers, network operators, and community members in the Canadian Arctic town of Inuvik to focus[…]
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[…]
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[…]
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 journal Northern Public Affairs has published a special issue focused on connectivity in Northern and Indigenous communities. The issue includes research and commentary about Indigenous digital innovations in communities across northern Canada, and features several articles contributed by FMCC members. These articles include: A “whole-community” approach for sustainable digital infrastructure in remote and Northern First[…]
The FMCC made a submission and reply comments to ISED’s Consultation on Revisions to the 3500 MHz Band to Accommodate Flexible Use and Preliminary Consultation on Changes to the 3800 MHz Band. The FMCC submissions are available for download: FMCC submission to ISED consultation on 3500 MHz band FMCC reply comments to ISED consultation
April 16, 2018 — Across Canada, remote and rural Indigenous communities have been building and delivering broadband services to people in rural and remote communities. A new book celebrates the achievements of these communities associated with the First Nations Innovation (FNI) research project (2005-2018), and the First Mile Connectivity Consortium (2013-ongoing). During the 13 years[…]
A collaboration between Piikani Youth Empowerment Strategies (Piikani Nation Secondary School and Peigan Board of Education) and the Faculty of Extension at the University of Alberta has received funding from the Internet Society’s Beyond the Net program. The project, titled Exploring digital literacy through the Piikani Cultural and Digital Literacy Camp Program, builds on a[…]
An article based on FMCC efforts at the CRTC is now published in the Journal of Information Policy. The article is co-authored by FMCC researchers Rob McMahon, Trevor Smith, and Tim Whiteduck. Reclaiming Geospatial Data and GIS Design for Indigenous-led Telecommunications Policy Advocacy: A Process Discussion of Mapping Broadband Availability in Remote and Northern Regions[…]