County council receives presentation on enhancing its rural internet services

Steve Wikkerink

By Justin Seward

Commentator/Courier

County of Forty Mile council received a presentation on options on improving the municipality’s internet service from Tango Networks Inc. on March 10.
Council found out that there is fiber buried in the ground along Highway 3 and Highway 879.
“The county doesn’t ever want to become an internet provider to speak of,”said Steve Wikkerink, county reeve.
“If we have this fiber this close by, how can we as a municipality assist in maybe attracting an internet provider to come into our county and to see what we can do to enhance our internet service throughout the county. What needs to be done, what are some of the costs?”
Council directed staff and Tango Networks Inc. company to take the next step and put some more dollar figures to some options that might be considered such as burying more cable or building more towers.
Wikkerink’s hope was to get a presentation at the March 24 council meeting on the information obtained.
“I think it’s just getting more and more important,” said Wikkerink, on finding a rural internet option.
“I think it’s very important if you look on the Agriculture side of life and that’s really what our county is. There so much more direct marketing going on now. The Agriculture community is really watching what’s going on around the world and other countries for crop production, crop failures, maybe spikes in the market and we’ve just got to access those things in real time.”

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