Internet research project coming to La Broquerie

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This article was published 26/03/2017 (2587 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

La Broquerie has been selected to participate in an upcoming door-to-door survey on rural Internet service in Canada.

Dr. Justin Peppars, a post-doctoral fellow with Brandon University’s Rural Development Institute (RDI), said the Manitoba Rural Broadband Project investigates how broadband Internet access in rural communities facilitates better integration between government services, community services, commerce, education, and health care.

“We look at broadband as a communal asset,” explained Peppars. “It doesn’t just help the individual, but the community as a whole.”

Data gathered by researchers in late April will be of use to the federal government as it searches for ways to support and improve broadband Internet across Canada, especially in rural areas. CDEM, a partner in the survey, will also mine the data for its trade and vocational implications.

In December, the CRTC recommended Canada establish a broadband Internet speed target of 50 megabits per second across the country. Soon thereafter, Brandon University secured a federal grant to carry out research related to this goal.

In order to have applicability for towns across Canada, Peppars said the survey will require a minimum of 60 responses. “This research is localized, but it’s also intended to enrich the federal discussion as well,” he said.

“I believe that this study can help improve services in rural communities,” he said. “If we want 50 Mbps in every community, how can we make that happen here?”

Similar studies will also be carried out in Pine Falls, Hamiota, and St Claude, Peppars said.