As expected, county council voted unanimously Jan. 28 to apply for a $1-million grant to provide wireless internet service to rural areas of the county.
Council approved a recommendation from its administration, finance, and personnel committee to have Everus Communications, of Waterloo, provide the service if the grant arrives. That company will be spending about $2-million to set up the service.
Everus president Richard Cantin said the application will be sent by the Feb. 12 deadline. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture controls the grants for the project.
Cantin said the project is designed to do two things:
– build a wireless network that provides good quality service for the rural areas of the county; and
– offer value and service that depend on that network, such as healthcare.
He told council, “We need to let people know it is there.”
Such a service can be especially effective in medicine, and not just for people, but veterinarians could use it, too. But, he said, people with few skills on the computer will have to be taught how to use it.
His company started in Wellington County near Mount Forest, and currently has 23 towers in place. There were five applicants for this project.
If the application is approved, the company will need more towers for its signals, and he said the Community Futures Development Corporation will do outreach to the community to let it know high speed internet is available in all parts of Wellington.
Cantin said phases two and three of the project are to get the system running and to sign customers. He noted the more OMAFRA sees the project being accepted, the better the county’s chance of obtaining a $1-million grant for the work. He added that in-kind donations by the local municipalities, which could include hook-ups on local water towers, will demonstrate that the local communities are approving the system.
Cantin said that some towers could be equal to a TV antenna, and that the systems will have very low use in energy. He said they would be about four volts.
Councillor Mark MacKenzie asked if there would be other services provided, such as TV, and Cantin said it will be only wireless internet. He added things like TV service would be far too expensive and need much higher speeds than internet service.
Councillor Rod Finnie asked when the company would be finished with the project, assuming it is approved.
Cantin said by late December or early next year.
When council considered the committee’s recommendation, MacKenzie asked what broadband will cost the county.
Treasurer Craig Dyer replied, “At this point, we have no direct cost to the municipalities or the county.” There will be some in-kind provisions, such as allowing equipment on towers, but after that, the cost is “zero.”
Councillor John Green said places such as Mapleton and Puslinch Townships have areas with few options for high speed internet.
MacKenzie asked if the provision by Everus would be ‘triplication of service.”
Green replied that the Ontario government has set aside millions of dollars to ensure everyone has equal opportunity at high speed service.
Councillor Chris White said his township already has a tower in place, and letting the equipment on it is the equivalent of $30,000 in in-kind contributions.
“We can leverage infrastructure for $1-million for the county,” he said, adding the project is ‘cost effective, rather than the county doing the work.”
Councillor Bob Wilson said high speed internet is “quite costly. I hope this is a cheaper alternative.”
Council approved the application when it approved the committee minutes. Councillor Lynda White was absent.
