Frontenac County Council

Broadband project brings service to 4,200 more households, but uptake has been slow

Through an investment of over $700,000 in provincial money and $1.4 million in private sector money from internet service provider Barret Xplore, as well as $150,000 from Frontenac County ratepayers, 4,200 properties in Central and South Frontenac and Frontenac Islands now have access to wireless high speed internet.

But as of yet only 370 have signed on for the service.

Maureen O'Higgins, of Actionable Intelligence Consulting, has been managing the project since it got underway over two years ago.

She made her final report to a meeting of Frontenac County Council, accompanied by Bob Davie from Barrett Xplore, last week (May 19).

O'Higgins reported that the project's focus changed during the implementation phase, when it was learned that planned towers in Parham and Crow Lake had become redundant because North Frontenac Telephone Company had brought their phone-based high speed internet service on stream in those areas.

This, coupled with opposition to the proposed location of its Kennebec tower, made it impossible for Barrett to provide wireless service in Arden as originally planned. Instead, Barrett has offered a discount on satellite service in Arden, although that offer is not subsidized by the provincially funded project.

The project thus extended its focus to the Perth Road/Inverary area, and locations at the southwestern edge of the county.

A tower in Piccadilly has brought service to residents in the Bedford/Godfrey region as well.

On Wolfe Island, service has been extended though many regions, but certain low-lying properties could not be reached. As well, the wind turbines on the island interfere with the signal, eliminating a number of properties from the possibility of service.

The lack of uptake to the project was picked up by Frontenac County Councillor Jim Vanden Hoek. “At 370 customers, I get a cost of about $6,400 in grants for each customer,” he said.

“A lot of the money came from Barrett Xplore,” O'Higgins pointed out, “and while uptake is important, particularly for Barrett, the fact that service is available in a wider region is important for the future of the county. We also look at the decision by North Frontenac Telephone Company to expand their service as a related impact, because it was a reaction to this project. ”

A similar project is ongoing in North Frontenac Township, which was separated out from the Central and South Frontenac project to maximize access to grant money.

DIGITAL MAPPING COMING ON STREAM THIS YEAR

The Frontenac County Global Information Systems (GIS) project, long in the works, has been ramped up this year and is slated to be available to municipal staff throughout the county by the end of the summer.

The public should be able to access the service by the end of the year.

The system will be presented in the form of an online county map that will include an ever-increasing number of information layers.

David Millard, the County Information Technology Supervisor, and GIS intern Kevin Farrel are working to bring the project on stream this year, under the direction of Sustainability Planner Joe Gallivan.

For municipal purposes, the system will include the location of pits and quarries, property information and detailed road and bridge information, eventually including the location and condition of culverts and other features.

Widely available information will include the locations of public swimming and boat launches on all lakes, the location of services in hamlets, and eventually, fish habitat and water quality information as well.

“This is still early days for this, but we think it will become a useful tool for tourism-related businesses, and we will be adding layers that are of particular use to that sector over time,” said Joe Gallivan.

There is also an application in the works that is designed to aid property owners who are interested in establishing small-scale renewable energy projects.

“Property owners will be able to tell what the most suitable kind of project is, be it wind, solar, or something else, for their particular property. It will include information about the experiences of some early adopters of renewable technologies, and a list of all the incentive programs that are available,” said Gallivan.