The matter is expected to be discussed at the next town council meeting. (file photo/paNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

slow service

La Ronge man launches petition for higher internet speeds

Oct 4, 2019 | 4:22 PM

Curtis Skalicky, of La Ronge, is concerned internet providers in the tri-communities could be forgetting about the area when it comes to upgrades to download speeds.

He launched a petition on Monday looking for signatures to support a letter he wrote to the La Ronge, Lac La Ronge Indian Band and Air Ronge councils. It requests all three councils to write a letter of their own to both Access Cable and SaskTel asking the companies to improve their internet services in the region. In La Ronge, Access offers up to 15 MB of service while SaskTel offers 10.

“We have problems with our internet service providers, and we want to know what SaskTel or Access is going to do about it,” Skalicky said. “Writing a letter and asking what’s happening won’t hurt. It’s not a criticism to anyone in particular, it’s just don’t forget about us.”

According to Skalicky’s research, the tri-communities together are ranked the 14^th most populated in Saskatchewan, but don’t receive the same level of services that similar or smaller communities receive. For instance, he stated Meadow Lake, Humboldt, Melville, Nipawin, Tisdale, Kindersley, Esterhazy, Rosetown, Kamsack and Canora all have the 50 MB service.

Skalicky stated the lack of higher internet speeds in an impediment when it comes to the growth in the tri-communities. He said upgrades to the speed could mean more opportunities for small businesses, increased availability for online courses, a higher percentage of people capable of working remotely at home, and a better experience using online device like Smart TVs or services like Netflix.

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“Every time it just seems to… buffer, it will stop, it will slow,” Skalicky said. “You can barely do anything on the internet.”

At the next regular La Ronge council meeting Oct. 9, Skalicky expects his letter to be reviewed and hopes a decision is made on whether or not they will draft a letter to send to Access and SaskTel. He also mentioned Cumberland NDP MLA Doyle Vermette had contacted him about presenting the petition in the Legislative Assembly.

Skalicky is also understanding there could be some technical issues preventing the service upgrade in the tri-communities, but he noted a company like SaskTel which earned $127 million in net income in 2019/2019 can afford to spend some of that money in the region.

In an email to larongeNOW, a spokesperson for SaskTel stated there are no upgrades planned for La Ronge this construction season, but the company is always evaluating communities to receive additional network improvements as part of its annual planning. The email also stated providing upgraded speeds rely on a number of factors such as the nature of the existing infrastructure in place, the technology being deployed, cost and the speeds currently available.

“Existing infrastructure is the biggest consideration as bandwidth availability, and the speeds that can be offered primarily stem from that,” the email stated. “Each upgrade to speed in a community requires SaskTel to ensure that there is enough bandwidth available in the back-haul network to provide for improved speeds for our customers. Given the limitations of our current infrastructure in the region, 10 MB is the fastest speed that can be provided over DSL to all of the homes and business located in La Ronge.”

SaskTel mentioned since 2017 there has been a number of changes such as upgrading the speeds available on the Lac La Ronge Indian Reserve from five to 10 MB maximum download speed on March 5 2019, introducing maxTV Steam service in Air Ronge and La Ronge on Sept. 26, 2018. They launched high speed interNET 10 in Air Ronge and La Ronge on March 5, 2018, as well as providing LTE carrier upgrades to the La Ronge tower to increase wireless service capacity by up to 100 per cent on Sept. 1, 2017.

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno