Rural internet co-op plugs away to connect customers

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This article was published 23/03/2018 (2931 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Officials with the innovative fibre-optic co-op turning Westman municipalities into internet service providers have a lengthy waiting list of customers.

In Hamiota, which is directly linking 120-130 homes and businesses in town to a fibre-optic line, they have 70 more hook-ups to do.

Through the Wi-Fi connection, the Municipality of Yellowhead connected 118 of the 300 subscriber applications they received as of last month, while Prairie View Municipality has more than 100 owners waiting to join the 20 properties already on the network.

The lengthy wait list is due to winter conditions delaying construction and demand for the service outstripping the number of installers.

“The whole idea of the co-op was creating opportunity and options in an area where, really, nobody cares about us,” said Don Cochrane, president of the Park West Fibre Optics Co-op Inc.

“What we wanted to do was say, ‘Hey, here’s something that people can use — and we’re open for business.’”

Last year, three Westman municipalities began treating internet service as if it’s a public utility, like water or sewer. Hamiota Municipality, the Municipality of Yellowhead and Prairie View Municipality joined the fibre-optic line installed at Park West School Division to provide super-fast internet for more than just students.

When the co-op started offering internet eight months ago, members believed the only other Canadian community selling internet to ratepayers was Olds, Alta.

However, they may have more company. Partners in the capital region around Winnipeg are launching a feasibility study to consider the prospect.

Officials with the RMs of Morris and Town of Morris, south of Winnipeg, have also visited Hamiota to see the project for themselves.

Hamiota took a different approach than other Westman municipalities. They chose to link broadband directly to homes and businesses, while Yellowhead and Prairie View are selling wireless connections, decreasing installation costs but providing slower speeds, albeit still faster than what the telecommunications companies offer.

“People are coming in now, knowing how good it is and asking to get hooked up,” Hamiota CAO Tom Mollard said. “To me, that’s a pretty good indication that we’ve have success.”

Internet speeds in the town range from 600 to 900 megabits per second, significantly faster than the single digit speeds many residents once reported.

The town will host its sixth information session on the project on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Hamiota and District Sports Complex.

Once the desired 70 additional subscribers are online, nearly half of the town’s 400 properties will be on the network.

Thirty to 40 more rural properties in the municipality are connected wirelessly.

Estimated between $2.5 million to $2.7 million to install the network, Mollard said they remain on budget.

“It’s kind of funny, we’re doing this project and we’re still running a municipality at the same time. You bounce around a bit, but it’s working.”

Thus far, the municipality hasn’t hired more staff, which may change once the contractor leaves and maintenance work takes over.

In the Municipality of Yellowhead, three towers are in place to support 118 subscribers.

Yellowhead council is committing one mill rate for installation, the equivalent of $130,000. Additional income is derived from subscriber payments, at $50 per month.

“We’re building it as it can be afforded,” Debbie Eastcott, chair of the Yellowhead Broadband Committee, said.

Eastcott hopes the bulk of their remaining signups, estimated around 180, will be online by summer’s end.

Prairie View Municipality began its fibre-optic service in Miniota, where more than 20 subscribers bought in, according to Roger Wilson, who sits on the municipal fibre-optic committee.

He said more than 100 people municipality-wide want to become customers.

“And the list is growing, and it will be our challenge now to get as many hookups as we can, as quickly as possible.”

He also hopes that most residents will be signed up by late summer.

Prairie View council borrowed $200,000 from its reserves, to be paid back over 15 years, to cover installation.

“To be able to have a faster service that’s dependable for a reasonable cost, we’re quite excited about what we’re doing,” Wilson said.

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