Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
Jasper Municipal Council heard about what can be done to ensure community-wide internet access during its April 11 committee of the whole meeting.
Last August, administration was directed to explore opportunities for town-wide internet access, following discussion from Community Conversations, April 鈥� June 2022 Report.
鈥淭he digital divide has become more prominent post-COVID-19,鈥� the report stated. 鈥淭hose with access to high-speed internet and the skills to work digital devices have [fared] notably better.鈥�
The report noted how the pandemic and Chetamon wildfire with the associated power outage had caused financial instability for many residents.
Administration added how residents continue to experience financial instability and an increase in the cost of living, and local businesses have reported a slow winter and early spring.
This financial strain results in lower income families opting out of paying for high-speed internet, which further marginalizes this demographic.
鈥淥ne aspect that I feel strongly about is levelling the playing field and providing [an] opportunity for lower income families to enjoy the same things that other families enjoy,鈥� said Coun. Kathleen Waxer.
One solution would be to provide internet access for free to all residents and visitors in the central business district, but this could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and require new infrastructure.
Another would entail having additional and larger bandwidth public access points at select municipal facilities.
While this option is cheaper at about $100,000, it would still require some infrastructure upgrades.
Administration did not recommend either of these high-cost options, instead suggesting that the municipality consider a low-cost option that directly helps the most vulnerable in the community, such as internet-access portable hot-spots that can be signed out.
Committee directed administration to seek out and apply for opportunities for partnerships and/or grants for small scale, vulnerable population specific internet access solutions.
鈥淚 know how difficult it is for our families in the community that can鈥檛 afford internet,鈥� said Coun. Wendy Hall, noting that the municipal library had 85,000 Wi-Fi visits last year.
鈥淚t definitely is something that鈥檚 needed in this community, and I definitely support the recommendation.鈥�
Besides economic constraints, Jasper also doesn鈥檛 have fibre-optic cables going to the home, unlike other communities, and the mountains and the town鈥檚 isolated location further impede internet access.
Coun. Rico Damota noted these additional challenges may require advocacy to service providers.
Mayor Richard Ireland stated that looking into low-cost options was a good start to addressing the problem and the high-cost solutions should be shelved, at least for now.
鈥淐ommunity-wide access, whatever that might mean, is going to come with a significant cost, and the research itself is going to be costly in terms of staff time,鈥� Ireland said.
鈥淸The recommendation is] a good first step and we鈥檒l see where it goes, and if it produces results, that鈥檚 great. If there is still a need, then we can always come back to this.鈥�
