Town, Internet users told to wait by Bell

During a by-invitation only meeting here Thursday afternoon with local Internet service providers, businesspeople, and councillors, Bell Canada reps asked everyone to wait while they consider options for small communities in Northwestern Ontario.
The meeting, called in response to concerns over recent upgrades by Bell and a lack of high-speed Internet access here, left the ISPs with only a few options–wait indefinitely and see if Bell does anything or continue to look for alternatives.
“It was pretty unproductive. The only positive note I left on was Bernie Blake [Bell Canada general manager for Northwestern Ontario] and [Bell Canada regional director] Caren Naismith’s commitment to sit down with them for a bit and talk with some of their technical staff,” said Voyageur Net manager Rob Lindstrom.
“I would say there’s not any high-speed Internet coming from Bell in the near future,” he added. “If, in fact, DSL shows up at the doorstep, it certainly won’t be in one year, it could be five years from now.”
At the meeting, held at 1 p.m. at the Civic Centre, the ISPs attended to discuss current connection problems since Bell’s upgrade in March as well as re-iterate the need for DSL service.
They were disappointed in both areas as no Bell technicians attended the meeting to explain current problems, and there was barely a hint of any other upgrades from Bell.
“You have made a request for DSL, we have taken that request and engaged internally,” noted Blake.
“Their plan for the year is providing DSL in the areas that provide the biggest return in their investment, however, that doesn’t mean we’ll stop talking about it.”
If Bell eventually does bring in DSL, Blake noted, they also will bring in their own Internet provider–Sympatico.
“If they do bring DSL in, they bring Sympatico in, so they bring in more competition,” noted Chris Ducharme, owner of Sunset Communications here.
“What did I learn from the meeting, not very much,” he said. “I was hoping there would be some technical people there.”
“We have to develop an alternative, not only for Fort Frances but for the 807 area,” added Lindstrom.