Feature Article July 31, 2003
LAND O' LAKES NewsWeb HomeRural Broadband and Community Portal get Funding SupportIts been a case of hurry up and wait, and then hurry up again for Jim MacPherson of the Land OLakes Communication Network (LOLCN) this past year.
Just over a year ago, the LOLCN, along with partners at the Kingston and Area Communications Network (KANET) put in an application to the Connect Ontario project of the Ontario Ministry of Enterprise, Opportunity and Innovation. The application was for grant money to aid in the development of a community portal, a web-based service that, if it gets built, could revolutionize the way people use the internet in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington.
If the portal is built, it may be possible for an internet user to enter some identifying information - a postal code or civic address for instance - and then have instant access to information relevant to them. The portal would put together a variety of information sources, from the tourism operators, municipal governments, and service agencies, into a seamless form.
Through the portal, people should be able to locate Bed & Breakfasts within a 20 km radius of a given point; register for swimming lessons; or find the nearest township dump that is open - quickly and easily, and without having to do internet searches for basic information.
After submitting their application the LOLCN waited, and waited some more. Meanwhile, the Connect Ontario Program went through various changes and it looked like it might cease to exist altogether. It survived however, and last week it was announced that up to $1.1 million in funding support would be made available for the project in Kingston, Fontenac, and Lennox & Addington.
The announcement does not make the development of a portal a done deal, however. All of the money is in the form of matching grants, so the LOLCN and KANET will have to find their own funding before the portal can be developed. Over the next month they will be going back to their original supporters to determine whether they are still interested in the project, and will begin seeking out funding sources as well.
Business Plan Development for Rural BroadbandLast October, The Land O Lakes Communication Network applied for a $30,000 grant from Industry Canada to enable them to prepare a business plan for developing broadband service in Frontenac, Lennox and Addington.
Their application was rejected in the first round of consideration, and they were encouraged by Industry Canada to partner with the City of Kingston in the second round of applications. Even though the broadband program is set up for rural areas, Industry Canada noted that the city of Kingston is the home of agencies that provide service in the rural area, such as the Health Unit, the Limestone District School Board, the Kingston Frontenac Public Library, and others, and as such have an interest in the development of rural broadband service.
Broadband service provides much faster internet connections than the dial up service that is currently available in rural areas, and enables subscribers to send and receive large computer files quickly. If it is brought on line it will support such applications as tele-working, video conferencing, e-learning, tele-medicine, community delivered services, and consumer related applications, said LOLCN board chairman Mike Eveleigh last week.
The grant that was announced last Friday will be used to put together a request for proposal by early September, which will enable interested companies to put in bids to provide the kinds of technologies that will be needed to establish a service in rural Frontenac and Lennox & Addington.
We need the request for proposal to be as specific as possible, and we want to give companies, some of whom may be national companies, four to six weeks to come up with proposals to cover our requirements. The best response we receive will become a major part of the business plan we will submit to Industry Canada in November.
Based on that business plan, the LOLCN and KANET hope that Industry Canada will come up with funding to support what promises to be an expensive project. They might also be able to access provincial support for the broadband initiative through the Connect Ontario Broadband Regional Access (COBRA) program.
