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Broadband project faces surprise threat
report it is considering that could gut the multi-million-dollar regional broadband project just after its successful completion. Industry Canada is considering a recom- mendation in the report to reclassify use and allocation of the 3500-Megaherz band of the electronic spectrum in Canada. The report divides up Canada into “urban” and “rural” blocks for broadband use and sug- gests that the 3500 MHz band be restricted in future to “!xed” wireless service for the bene!t of rural customers. Mobile wireless services in urban areas would have to use other bands. The problem, the EOWC and EORN noted in a joint letter sent to Industry Minister James Moore, is that more than 75 of the 90 rural municipalities in Eastern Ontario are located within the “urban” blocks identi!ed in the consultant report. If Industry Canada went ahead with the proposed reclassi!ca- tion of the 3500 MHz band, it would threat- en the high-speed Internet service that the broadband project now provides those communities. “This means that at 11,000 current cus- tomers across a large part of Eastern On- tario will lose their Internet services,” states the EOWC/EORN letter. “More than $12 mil- lion of public and private funds have just been spent to connect these homes and businesses using (the) licensed 3500 MHz spectrum.” The letter also noted that the partnership created between the EOWC and EORN and
the private sector also includes provincial and federal contributions of more than $50 million each. The entire Eastern Ontario broadband project represents an invest- ment, both cash and in-kind, of more than $170 million. “We are very concerned about wasting any of this investment,” the letter states, noting that licensed Internet server out- !ts like Xplorenet bought into the project in good faith that they would have clients subscribers when the broadband upgrade work was done. The EOWC/EORN letter questions the way the consultation was handled, with empha- sis on the consultant report assumption that rural Canada in general, and Eastern Ontario in particular, does not have a great demand for mobile wireless coverage. “Mobile service and access to them at rates comparable to our urban neighbours is essential to rural areas and communities,” the EOWC/EORN letter states. “Our resi- dents, our businesses, our municipal opera- tions, including public works, police, !re, and ambulance services, need better access to mobile services, not less.” The EOWC has !led a resolution with the minister asking that Industry Canada modify any future policy plans for the 3500 MHz band to guarantee that current licence holders in the EORN be able to continue providing mobile and !xed Internet service to both urban and rural clients in Eastern Ontario on that wavelength.
GREGGCHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
OTTAWA | It was meant to help businesses and private citizens throughout all of Eas- tern Ontario navigate theWorldWideWeb with ease and at high speed. Now the re- gional broadband project faces an unex- pected threat to its future from Industry Canada. The Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus (EOWC) and the Eastern Ontario Regional Network group (EORN) are lobbying for sup- port in their challenge to the federal Min- istry of Industry and a recent consultant’s Wireless mobile service in rural Eastern Ontario, whether through home computers, personal data devices, or cell phones with Internet access, could su!er from an Industry Canada policy change.
Upper Canada “report card” satisfactory
BROCKVILLE | O!cials in the Upper Cana- da school district have a very satisfactory EQAO report at the start of the new term. The provincial Education Quality and Accountability O$ce (EQAO) testing results on Grade 9 academic math and Grades 3 and 6 literacy evaluation exams give good marks to the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB). The most recent EQAO test results for ele- mentary students in Upper Canada district indicated 77 per cent of Grade 6 students are at the provincial standard for reading, compared to 67 per cent during the 2008- 2009 evaluation period. Writing skills are at 75 per cent compared to the previous rating of 64 per cent. The Grade 3 student evaluations also show improvements in reading from 61 per cent 66 per cent, and writing from 66 per cent to 75 per cent. EQAO scores on Grade 9 academic math shows the UCDSB holding at 77 per cent for students achieving provincial standards in the area. The same result for the 2012-2013 evaluation period. The Grade 10 Ontario
Secondary School Literacy Test result for UCDSB was 73 per cent for provincial stan- dards, a reduction of two per cent from the previous term evaluation.
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