JUDIQUE: A group of residents here thinks they are not being well served by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and the provincial government in their attempts to improve communication infrastructure in Inverness County.
Committee member John MacInnis recalled that after Hurricane Dorian touched down last September, the issue came to a head when the back-up phone system went down.
“When we lost power here in the community, two hours later, we lost complete phone service,” MacInnis recalled. “Both landlines and cell service went down within two hours. Bell had the back-up and their battery system was inadequate.”
In response, an ad-hoc committee of the Judique Development Association (JDA) was formed to look into the issue.
Soon MacInnis said they heard many stories of residents struggling with inadequate service in many parts of Inverness County.
“It’s an essential service, phone service,” he noted. “That’s how we basically began this quest for better service. Our cell phone service here is terrible anyway, through this community and most communities in the county.”
Fellow committee member Florence Campbell pointed out that before long, the issue of better Internet service arose as one solution.
“Broadband capability in Inverness County is suffering,” Campbell noted. “Ultimately, it provides us with appropriate cell phone service and Internet.”
MacInnis said efforts to improve both phone service and upgrade Internet infrastructure then began.
“Because one goes hand-in-hand,” he said. “The fibre has got to go to every tower for cell service. If you have the fibre, you can get Internet over fibre and you get phone service over fibre.”
Last January, after a presentation to Inverness Municipal Council by iValley, Campbell said councillors told her at the time that most of the complaints they were hearing from constituents surrounded cell phone service.
Noting that it is not just about cell phone service, she said the group is also looking for better Internet service in the whole county, not just the Judique area.
“We decided we really needed to advocate and lobby so that they can understand there is very poor Internet service,” Campbell recalled. “We decided at that time our job was to inform ourselves, teach ourselves and educate ourselves the best we can about the situation.”
Campbell noted there are federal and provincial monies available to improve the situation, but despite the fact that Judique has been identified as a problem area, still nothing has been done.
In the last round of funding announced last December by Develop Nova Scotia to ISPs to work on Internet service, the Chéticamp and Inverness areas were both selected.
Develop Nova Scotia then closed out Requests for Proposals in the spring for round 2 of funding, which will be announced this month.
“We do know that somewhere in Inverness County, some community or communities will get improved service in Round 2,” Campbell noted. “We hope Judique will be one of those.”
MacInnis said Develop Nova Scotia has $192 million to spend on better Internet in the province, but he says the manner in which contracts are awarded is seriously flawed because it allows the ISPs to own the communication infrastructure, and forces government to provide funding to conduct future work on more communities.
“What’s happening is these Internet providers are cherry-picking the more heavily dense populations and servicing them because they can get more customers and make more money,” MacInnis said.
Campbell agreed that communities like Judique are being overlooked because they are rural. She pointed out that some like Pictou County and Kings County, as well as Eskasoni First Nation – which have gone on their own and are now accessing provincial and federal streams of funding – will be in a better position than others.
“The service providers are being driven by their board of directors and their shareholders. We don’t get any local authority or local control over how we improve that situation,” she said. “We’re using our taxpayer dollars to give these service providers the money to come and service us, because they won’t come and service us unless they get that additional money.”
MacInnis said these municipalities are not trying to make money, like the ISPs, but are trying to empower their residents and communities by retaining local control of infrastructurem, while providing faster service. He and Campbell agree that the municipality needs to take charge like other jurisdictions in Nova Scotia.
“They’re setting up their own and we think that’s what we need to do,” MacInnis said. “We don’t need to ship our money to Bay Street in Toronto, we need to keep the money here and have our own upgraded system owned by the municipality, or run by the municipality at least.”
Another point of contention with Develop Nova Scotia is that it is using the criteria for Internet service speeds prescribed by the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), as a result, she said Judique residents are paying for high speed rates, but getting service that is not even close to that standard.
“We’re paying basically the same fees that more urban areas in Nova Scotia are,” Campbell said.
MacInnis said the CRTC is allowing ISPs to charge the same rate in rural areas as they do in urban locations, despite the vast differences in reception quality and speed.
“We’re subsidizing Halifax and the metro areas,” MacInnis agreed. “We’re paying the same rate as you do in Halifax where you get four or five bars on your phone.”
Campbell said 15 years ago, Internet service was regarded as a luxury, but now it is essential.
“Our hospitals, our schools, anybody who tries to do a home business, it is an essential service,” she said. “We need to get better service right now.”
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, MacInnis said the necessity of high speed Internet has become even more apparent. With some people looking to move from higher population areas because of the virus, MacInnis said this poor services does not make the area look attractive to prospective residents.
“Kids are learning from home, universities are now doing all their work on-line, medicine is being conveyed over the Internet, doctor’s visits, everything. And here we are in the boonies,” he noted. “Having good Internet could be the salvation for rural Canada, not just rural Nova Scotia.”
In the last two to three months, Campbell said she’s heard of summer homes being constructed and families returning to Inverness County. Since a municipal election is coming up in October, she expects this could become a prominent issue.
“If Inverness County wants to grow its population, we need to get out there and shake the bushes,” she noted.
Now that they know what they need to fight for and in an attempt to let the public know what they are trying to achieve, Campbell said the group has reached out to business owners, organizations and individuals in places like Port Hood and Mabou, in addition to Judique.
In addition to the municipality, the group has also been working with Inverness MLA Allan MacMaster, but Campbell said she’s disappointed they’ve been unable to make contact with Cape Breton-Canso MP Mike Kelloway.
If the group is unsuccessful in being approved for the latest round of Develop Nova Scotia funding, Campbell was told by the Cape Breton Partnership that unserved and under-serviced areas will be identified, then ISPs will be approached to connect them.
“But that’s going to take time and we deserve it now,” Campbell stated.
Campbell said there are couple of requests they have of residents to help their efforts, the first is for them to test their Internet speeds at: speedtest.com, the second is for customers to call their service providers and request better service, next is to call their councillor demanding better Internet service and speeds, and the final is for residents to speak with their neighbours to get information about speeds in their area.
The ad-hoc committee now has a Facebook page called “Better Internet For Inverness County” on which it is encouraging residents to share their experiences.
“We believe there is strength in numbers, we believe we need to go to our service providers with data and say, ‘look there are many, many people who are dissatisfied,’” Campbell added.