Investing in Rural Alberta
From Sturgeon County’s press release:
Residents and businesses in Sturgeon County are officially one step closer to having reliable, accessible, and affordable high-speed internet right to their door. After an extensive selection process, Sturgeon County has partnered with Canadian Fiber Optics for the development and operation of a fiber-based internet service, starting with a pilot project in the south-west corner of the county that includes the Hamlets of Villeneuve, Calahoo, and Riviere Que Barre, the Villeneuve Airport, and the Heritage and ProNorth Industrial Parks.
“High-speed internet is a need-to-have versus a nice-to-have for our residents and businesses, which is why we approved the broadband strategy and are investing up to $7.3 million for the pilot project area. Sturgeon County is very excited to be working with Canadian Fiber Optics to help fulfill Council’s vision for a connected community. Their experience with rural connectivity solutions and appreciation of the challenges faced by rural communities made them a clear front-runner for the Sturgeon County broadband project.”
– Mayor Alanna Hnatiw, Sturgeon County
Resetting The Benchmark
While rural municipalities have been tackling the issue of rural broadband for a number of years, Sturgeon County’s solution is quite unique. After extensive consultation with the industry, the County developed a shared risk/reward model where both the County and Canadian Fiber Optics contribute financially to the development and operation of the service and share the revenue. The County also implemented an FTTP (Fiber-To-The-Premises) approach that offers residents and businesses the fastest and most reliable technology available, providing speeds starting at 100Mbps (twice the Canadian standard) and capable of 10Gbps, faster or equal to any service in Canada.
A Rejuvenating Investment in Rural Communities
This bold investment will strike directly at the digital divide and empower the residents of Sturgeon County and its local industry. Canadian Fiber Optics believes in the right to connect, grow, communicate and streamline both lifestyle and business. This partnership will foster crucial opportunity in Sturgeon County and ensures future proof fiber connectivity that will benefit both residents and businesses for generations to come.
To connect your business to fiber optic internet contact Cole Summach: Cole@canadianfiberoptics.ca
To learn more about how we can invest and build fiber optic internet in your community contact Johann Reimer: Johann@canadianfiberoptics.ca
More information on the County’s broadband initiative can be found at sturgeoncounty.ca/internet.