High-speed Internet options galore

Is seems Fort Frances finally is getting on the map—and online—when it comes to high-speed Internet.
With the recent announcement that Shaw Cable will be offering high-speed Internet connections through cable early in the new year, and the announcement in October that Pwi-di-goo-zing Ne-yaa-zhing Advisory Services’ application for broadband infrastructure funding was approved by the federal government, the options for high-speed Internet service locally will continue to expand.
And with increased options should come lower prices.
Local Internet service provider (ISP) Jam 21 has been offering high-speed connections for about six months, but costs have been a deterrent, owner Dave Ashworth said.
For example, Jam 21 offers a fixed wireless connection using a transmitter on the Fort Frances water tower. Anyone living within a 13-km (eight-mile) radius of the tower can purchase an antenna to put on the outside of the house for a high speed hook-up to the Internet.
“The cost of the hardware has been prohibitive. It’s been around the $1,000 mark,” Ashworth noted, adding the company is trying to lower the price of the antenna to a couple hundred dollars, making it more economically feasible in the residential market.
“We’ve got quite a few customers on it right now, primarily business customers,” Ashworth said. “It’s something in the new year we’re going to be actively rolling out.”
The local ISP also offers private DSL connections.
“It goes from the customer’s house to the Bell office on Church Street and back to our office here,” Ashworth explained, for a cost of $60 a month.
But Bell also charges the customer for the use of their lines.
“At this point, until the DSL service rolls into town, there is a Bell charge, too,” he noted (around $30 or $40 a month).
“I think once they bring the infrastructure in, it should bring the cost of the service down.”
Ashworth noted technology will benefit both the customers and the ISPs.
“Once that infrastructure is in place, it makes it much easier for us and the other providers to offer DSL service,” he said. “And that’s one thing people might not be aware of.
“Regardless of who brings it to town, whether it’s Bell offering DSL or any other provider, most providers such as ourselves will have third-party access to it.”
Because several companies will have access to the technology, this hopefully will keep prices down.
“In the long run, the consumer is going to benefit,” Ashworth said.
That infrastructure is expected to come from the joint proposal developed by Pwi-di-goo-zing, the Rainy River Future Development Corp., and Bell Canada.
Through its Broadband for Rural and Northern Development (BRAND) pilot program, Industry Canada awarded Pwi-di-goo-zing a $890,000 grant back in October to help cover the cost of bringing high-speed Internet to the district.
The proposal will affect First Nations communities of Couchiching, Lac La Croix, Naicatchewenin, Nicickousemenecaning, Rainy River, Seine River, and Stanjikoming, as well as Fort Frances, Rainy River, Alberton, La Vallee, Emo, Chapple, and Morley.
It is not clear how long the project will take to complete, and Pwi-di-goo-zing did not return calls by press time.
Thrown into the mix is Shaw Cable, which plans to launch cable modem Internet access here in mid- to late January.
“We’ve made a very large investment to bring state-of-the-art technology to Fort Frances,” said David Inglis, regional system manager for Shaw.
Because television is a one-way medium, and the Internet requires two-way communication, Shaw has had to make some upgrades in order to offer the service.
Inglis said the cable modem connection is “up to 100 times faster than traditional dial-up,” and does not require the customer to purchase digital cable.
Shaw’s Internet connection will be limited to those living in town.
“The service will be available to anyone in Fort Frances that’s in an area with cable service on their particular street,” said Inglis.
He noted Shaw already provides high-speed Internet to Dryden, and will be introducing the service to Atikokan next year, too.
Inglis said Shaw likely will have a sales launch event when the connection is ready to give people a chance to test the service and ask questions.
The connection will cost about $37.95 a month, but “if they were bundled with some of our other services, that price can come down to about $30,” Inglis noted.
In the next several months, it appears Fort Frances residents finally will join the 24 million other Canadians who have access to high-speed Internet.
“I think there’s been a long wait for high-speed service,” Ashworth said. “The real hindrance has always been trying to make it affordable for the everyday user.
“But it appears that it’s becoming more of a reality now.”