Internet Hi-Speed (Broadband) Access in West Carleton
I received the following email from a reader, who requested that I post it on my blog. It is addressed to his fellow residents in West Carleton. I have not edited the content.
-Chris
Hi Neighbour:
You have read in the press that Ottawa city council has provided taxpayer funding to a private sector firm to provide competitive internet access to rural areas which the current ISPs (Internet Service Providers) are not servicing.
The contract was awarded to Barrett Xplornet ( http://www.xplornet.com ). You may even have received one of their brochures in your mailbox in the last 2 or 3 months.
Our local councilor had the following information posted:
http://www.ward5eli.com/content.php?doc=79
The current status is that Barrett committed to having their service up and running by October 31, 2007, with free installation (as opposed to a competitors $400 installation charge in this area). Due to delays this offer was extended to November 12th, which has now expired.
After discussions with the players/stakeholders (our city councilor, city bureaucrats, local dealer installers and the service provider (Barrett), I have come to these conclusions:
1. Barrett cannot provide reliable service in an area approximating and bounded by March Road on the north, Spruce Ridge on the west, William Mooney on the east and Richardson Side Road on the south. This is an area of 2K by 6K (about 12 square kilometers).
2. While some of you in this area may currently have:
i) hispeed access to Barrett due to favorable topography (access is line of sight dependent), but if it is marginal now, then the service will degrade as the trees continue to grow.
ii) access to a previously defunct ISP being serviced by a tower at the corner of David Manchester & Richardson, this service is not guaranteed to continue. In addition, the ISP servicing this tower was charging a $400 installation fee.
3. The tactic of Barrett and the city is to try and steer you to their satellite service. This is unacceptable for financial, practical and operation reasons. The cost is higher and there are delays in bouncing the signal 25,000 miles up and back down again. There may also be obstructions to your view of the satellite.
Real estate agents have told me access to Hi-Speed (Broadband) is a prerequisite to selling your property, so even if you are currently satisfied with your dialup connection or do not currently access the internet, access to Hi-Speed is in your interests.
If this issue is of concern to you, I urge you to contact the following players/stakeholders:
Councilor: Eli.El-Chantiry@ottawa.ca
City Bureaucrat: Chris.Cope@ottawa.ca
Barrett: BillM@BarrettXplore.com, JackieK@BarrettXplore.com, lenm@BarrettXplore.com, LeslieC@BarrettXplore.com
Why am I not providing my name and address/email?
1. There is no other information that I can provide.
2. If this issue is of concern to you, I want you to get the information directly from the guys in charge.
3. Well OK, if you really want to contact me: definnbaker@yahoo.com
-Chris
Hi Neighbour:
You have read in the press that Ottawa city council has provided taxpayer funding to a private sector firm to provide competitive internet access to rural areas which the current ISPs (Internet Service Providers) are not servicing.
The contract was awarded to Barrett Xplornet ( http://www.xplornet.com ). You may even have received one of their brochures in your mailbox in the last 2 or 3 months.
Our local councilor had the following information posted:
http://www.ward5eli.com/content.php?doc=79
The current status is that Barrett committed to having their service up and running by October 31, 2007, with free installation (as opposed to a competitors $400 installation charge in this area). Due to delays this offer was extended to November 12th, which has now expired.
After discussions with the players/stakeholders (our city councilor, city bureaucrats, local dealer installers and the service provider (Barrett), I have come to these conclusions:
1. Barrett cannot provide reliable service in an area approximating and bounded by March Road on the north, Spruce Ridge on the west, William Mooney on the east and Richardson Side Road on the south. This is an area of 2K by 6K (about 12 square kilometers).
2. While some of you in this area may currently have:
i) hispeed access to Barrett due to favorable topography (access is line of sight dependent), but if it is marginal now, then the service will degrade as the trees continue to grow.
ii) access to a previously defunct ISP being serviced by a tower at the corner of David Manchester & Richardson, this service is not guaranteed to continue. In addition, the ISP servicing this tower was charging a $400 installation fee.
3. The tactic of Barrett and the city is to try and steer you to their satellite service. This is unacceptable for financial, practical and operation reasons. The cost is higher and there are delays in bouncing the signal 25,000 miles up and back down again. There may also be obstructions to your view of the satellite.
Real estate agents have told me access to Hi-Speed (Broadband) is a prerequisite to selling your property, so even if you are currently satisfied with your dialup connection or do not currently access the internet, access to Hi-Speed is in your interests.
If this issue is of concern to you, I urge you to contact the following players/stakeholders:
Councilor: Eli.El-Chantiry@ottawa.ca
City Bureaucrat: Chris.Cope@ottawa.ca
Barrett: BillM@BarrettXplore.com, JackieK@BarrettXplore.com, lenm@BarrettXplore.com, LeslieC@BarrettXplore.com
Why am I not providing my name and address/email?
1. There is no other information that I can provide.
2. If this issue is of concern to you, I want you to get the information directly from the guys in charge.
3. Well OK, if you really want to contact me: definnbaker@yahoo.com
posted by Chris Spencer at 10:44 pm
0 comments
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home