Highspeed internet is critical for economic development, engaging in the digital economy, and working and learning from home. The Government of Canada has announced the goal of providing access to 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload speeds to all Canadians by 2030.County of Barrhead Broadband
In 2022, County of Barrhead partnered with MCSnet to extend 58km of broadband fiber in the County. Read more about this project here!
Through this project, new service has been extended to the Kiel Industrial Park, Regional Airport, Manola, Neerlandia, Thunder Lake
and the Northeast side of Lac La Nonne. County of Barrhead is proud of our continued support for connectivity, which includes access to affordable & reliable high‐quality rural broadband.
RMA Internet Speed Tests
From 2020-2022, Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) has conducted public-led Internet Speed Tests throughout rural Alberta, in partnership with the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA).
This study closed October 2022, and concluded that rural Albertans experience much lower internet speeds than the 50/10 Mbps goal of the federal government. Read the final report from the study here. Information found through this study will inform RMA's new data-driven positions and further assist in advocacy for rural Alberta.
CRTC Seeking Internet Speed Testers
The Canadian Radio-television & Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has launched the third phase of a nationwide broadband study. This project is designed to identify areas where internet speeds are not meeting what is advertised by internet service providers.
Anyone with "fixed wireless" internet service (that is, your modem connects to your service provider via an outdoor antenna, rather than wires or cables) can participate in this project. To sign up, applicants need to complete an online registration. After registering, they can receive a physical "Whitebox" that connects to their internet and reports speeds to the CRTC.
This project provides an additional opportunity for rural Albertans to share the challenges of obtaining rural internet with the Federal government.
