Those in the struggling telecommunications sector in Fort Frances and area are collectively shaking their heads as high-speed Internet continues to remain out of reach.
While demand for high-speed access has increased, providers, businesses, and developers continue to search–even plead–for an answer that will bring it here.
In the wake of service upgrades from Bell Canada, consumers appeared to expect high-speed Internet was as part of it after the company indicated 56K access would be available.
Now, after the upgrade has been completed, consumers are realizing that Internet access is not immediately available without spending thousands of dollars to buy modems compatible with Bell’s ISDN and high user fees to subscribe.
“There seems to be some doubts, at this point, as to what quality of service we’re getting from Bell,” said Dave Ashworth, owner of Jam 21, a local Internet Service Provider.
Even with an investment in ISDN-compatible equipment, some doubt high-speed Internet would be reliable because of the distance information would have to travel from here to Bell’s switch in Thunder Bay and back.
“When I heard they were announcing ISDN, I couldn’t believe it. That service is really really old, it’s been around since 1979,” said Jerry Korman, a network analyst and network architect in Bears Pass, who is angry with Bell Canada for what he says is a downgrade rather than an upgrade.
“I [design] call centres and no one now uses ISDN,” he said. “I would argue with you it’s a narrow band service, not a broadband service. My service is much worse now and I can barely even get on the Internet.”
With their upgrade, Korman said, Bell moved its main switch for the area to Thunder Bay, leaving a remote in Fort Frances and a long path of information transfers before data is sent and received.
“It goes from analog to digital, from electrical to optical, then to Thunder Bay, where it goes from optical to electrical, digital to analog, and the DMS in Thunder Bay determines how the call can be set up and it goes from analog to digital and electrical to optical, to Fort Frances, then digital to analog and optical to electrical,” he explained.
“If you do more than one conversion, you don’t get high-speed.”
But even though the upgrades may not be state-of-the-art technology, Bell has brought the area more up to date than it was in the eyes of some, like Geoff Gillon, an economic development officer for the Rainy River Future Development Corp. here
“We’re not, I hate to say it, at the centre of the universe. We’re getting what we can get,” he said.
“I think we need it. Down the road, the whole country’s got to do it,” he added. “We’ve just got to work together to continue to push.”
Meanwhile, local businesses and service providers are searching for alternatives.
The Fort Frances Times’ Electronic Publishing division, for instance, had installed an antenna on the roof of the Northern Lights Credit Union only to discover that in order for transmissions to be possible, two towers–possibly up to 70 feet tall–would have to be built in order to receive data from their Internet Service Provider.
For his part, Ashworth has been negotiating with the Town of Fort Frances for access to the water tower in order to erect antennae, enabling him to provide improved access through American providers.
Some competition for Bell Canada in Rainy River District is causing some excitement.
Norwest ConX, a Thunder Bay Telephone initiative, is expected to provide microwave data transfer across the district within the next few years.
A collective effort of several public sector groups, including 807 Norwest Network, Thunder Bay Telephone, Kenora Municipal Telephone System, Dryden Municipal Telephone System, FedNor, and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, Norwest ConX is expected to compete with Bell Canada throughout Northwestern Ontario with about $25 million invested over four or five years.
Using existing cell phone towers in the district, the project will provide the data transfer similar to that provided by Bell through its lines in the atmosphere with microwave transmissions.
“In essence, what we’re going to be doing is competing with Bell,” noted Timo Hiiback, manager of business development and strategic planning for Norwest ConX.
“It will provide competition in the region and it’s hopefully going to retain IT folks in the region or even get some new businesses set up,” he said.
But although there are hints the Fort Frances Power Corp. may be interested in a partnership, high-speed Internet access through Norwest ConX–at this point–appears to be not much more than a plausible suggestion.
“We’ll look into it at some point and see if it’s cost-effective,” said Hiiback. “The only thing to confirm at this point is the network is just beginning to move out. There’s are a lot of routes to explore.”
Cable access also remains a possibility but with the local Videon station recently bought by Shaw (and now reportedly up for sale again), the odds of hearing an announcement for cable Internet access here soon don’t appear to be good one.
In the meantime rather than drawing perspective development, the ongoing search for high-speed access may be driving more people away.
“I’m out, this really was the last straw,” said Korman, who plans to move to the U.S.
“This is costing me a fortune. Do you realize how important it is now to have basic Internet let alone high-speed,” he added. “It’s awful, I feel sorry for Fort Frances. I don’t know what you folks are going to do, everything that might have been in place for high-speed is gone.”
“The unfortunate thing is, trying to tie this in with some of the issues the town has been dealing with–the population base dwindling and infrastructure–this kind of hits it right on the head,” noted Ashworth.
“Jerry [Korman] is an example of that.”
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
