The second deadline for federal funding for a broadband business plan has come and gone with no action from the local group that was passed over in the last round.
The proposal put forward by the Rainy River Future Development Corp. late last year was rejected in January at the same time a First Nations proposal in the district was accepted.
At the time, a second attempt to access funding for developing a business plan—to a maximum of $30,000—was planned.
This federal program, called BRAND (Broadband for Rural and Northern Development), has two steps: the development of a business case for broadband and the application for infrastructure.
“We’re putting in a RFP for BRAND infrastructure funding,” noted Geoff Gillon of the RRFDC. “We skipped the business plan funding.”
He explained that due to information already collected from previous studies, along with the work being done by Ed Hoshizaki through the Connect Ontario Communication project out of Atikokan, enough was available to skip applying for additional funding for a business plan.
Gillon said a needs assessment was done with local organizations, communities, and municipalities to be sure current and future communications needs in the district were being addressed.
“We’ll take the needs assessments from the schools and municipalities and compile it with statistical information and give it to service providers for a cost analysis,” he explained.
“They tell us what they can do and what it’s going to cost.”
In the next few weeks, they plan to have the information compiled and ask for cost assessments form service providers such as Bell Canada and Shaw.
Gillon said a reply will be needed from them by early May so the information collected can be sifted through and then compiled with what the district First Nations are doing.
“They’re prepared to work with us,” he said, adding some of what the RRFDC is preparing will overlap the First Nations. “The First Nations will be serviced by the centre of the district.
“We hope we can go forward collectively with a business case and apply for BRAND infrastructure,” Gillon added.
He did note it will be a multi-faceted approach to getting broadband up and running in the district because a business case is hard to make for much of the district.
“Dare I say it’s difficult, even in Fort Frances, for a business case,” Gillon conceded. “The business case is very difficult. If we had to use the same business case for building roads in the north, we wouldn’t have any roads.”
He said once the response from the service providers is received, the amount they are willing to provide must be added to any money from BRAND and its provincial counterpart, COBRA (Connect Ontario: Broadband Rural Access).
This still will leave a municipal piece of the pie. The size of that piece will determine the feasibility of bringing broadband here.
“That’s the million-dollar question, no pun intended,” said Gillon. “That will be a function of the ability for it to pay for itself.”
The deadline for infrastructure applications is May 25.
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
