January 20th The KLCOA Connectivity Team has continued our dialogue with Bell Canada in efforts to improve wireline and wireless connectivity in our area. Following are several updates which may be of interest to our members:
– The new Bell Wireless Home Internet service is now up and running on the tower on Kennisis Lake Road (before West Shore). This service may be of interest to those in line of sight to this tower. If you are interested in learning more, we encourage you to contact Bell directly.
– The KLCOA and several hundred individual property owners wrote in support of federal Universal Broadband Funding to bring fibre service to the Kennisis area last Spring. Bell advises that their application to UBF is still outstanding but they remain optimistic and are working on design plans in the hope that federal funding does become available.
– Replacement of the failing existing copper service around the lake (and specifically on Watts Rd) will be dependent on the outcome of the UBF application. Once Bell knows whether UBF funding to install fibre is available, they will determine whether the fibre overlay will proceed (or if UBF funding is not available for fibre, they will be obliged to replace the copper service).
September 16th – EORN Cell Gap Project with Rogers – Rogers has begun upgrading the technology to 5G on existing towers in Eastern Ontario (so Rogers’ customers may start to see some improvements in service). Rogers and EORN are now engaged in the “Duty to Consult” with 18 First Nations groups and Rogers has begun the process of looking for locations for new towers (with 20-30 expected to be installed between now and 2025 in Haliburton County.) EORN does not anticipate that information on proposed new site locations will be available before the new year.
Haliburton Chief Administrative Officer Mike Rutter advised that Rogers has said that where connectivity challenges are preventing property owners from working or running businesses from their properties, they might prioritize upgrades for these areas. If lack of or poor cell and/or internet service is making it difficult for you to conduct business from your lake address and you would like us to share this information with Haliburton County and Rogers, please send an email to kennisisconnectivity@yahoo.com with your name, business/employer name, lake address and a brief description of the problem. We will collect this input and pass it on to the CAO.
Improving Connectivity in Ontario Funding – The Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure has a new process for ICON funding with $4 billion now allocated to get all of Ontario to 50 down/10up mbps by 2025. MOI is dividing up the province into blocks and will be conducting a reverse auction for subsidies to improve (internet) service (using any technology) in those blocks. No further information is available as to where Kennisis fits in this process.
The KLCOA has been coordinating periodic Zoom meetings on connectivity issues with other Haliburton County lake association representatives and government officials to exchange information. Our MPP, Laurie Scott, joined our most recent one on September 15th. We impressed upon her how significant our connectivity challenges are in the Kennisis area, and the other lake area representatives (including from Haliburton Lake, Hall’s & Hawks, Canning, Soyer, Koshlong, Kushog) expressed similar concerns.
We have contacted Bell several times and are still waiting for a reply as to updates on when the landlines on Watts Rd which need repair will be addressed; when the planned Wireless Home Internet service on the Kennisis Lake Road tower will go live; the status of Bell’s application for federal Universal Broadband Funding for our area, which we have supported with letters; and to understand what the new ICON process means for our area.
July 24th – Bell has advised that they are dealing with some technical issues in installing the Wireless to Home internet service which will reach some properties on Kennisis Lake. They are working on it and are now projecting September for when this service may be available.
Bell expects to commence work to upgrade the copper cables on Watts Rd to improve landline service at the end of August into September.
We have received no further feedback on the application to the federal Universal Broadband Fund to provide fibre to home to all properties on the Kennisis Lake. (We sent letters from the KLCOA and from over 200 property owners earlier this year in support of this application). Bell advises that they expect that it will be into the Fall to year-end before we hear further about the status of this application.
Connectivity – EORN Cell Gap Project Update
On April 28th, EORN and Rogers gave a presentation to Haliburton County Council on the Cell Gap Project, which aims to provide 99% of the area where people live (or have cottages), work and travel in eastern Ontario with cellular voice calling by 2025; 95% of the area with email, web browsing & social media; and 85% of the area with video-conferencing and streaming by cell – see map. [link to 2025 cell coverage map] In Haliburton County, 21 existing towers (including the one on Kennisis Lake Rd) will be upgraded (beginning this summer) and 30-40 new 5G sites will be built. (No information is available yet as to where these might be located.) Proposed new locations will go through the usual municipal approval process including community meetings.
Connectivity Update – Bell Canada
There are several important developments resulting from the KLCOA’s dialogue with Bell Canada on connectivity issues over the past six months.
Letter to Federal & Provincial Governments in Support of the Universal Broadband Fund Application (If you want your name added to this letter please do so ASAP – details at end of this article)
There are several important developments resulting from the KLCOA’s dialogue with Bell Canada on connectivity issues over the past six months.
UBF Application for Fiber to Kennisis Properties – In early March, Bell applied to the federal Universal Broadband Fund for funding to bring fibre to the home to all properties around the Kennisis Lakes, (in part due to the urging of the KLCOA). KLCOA drafted a letter in support of this application which Bell submitted with the application. The earliest we expect to hear from the federal government with respect to this application is the summer and it may take even longer.
We believe that it would be helpful to indicate widespread support for this application from individual members to the federal and provincial governments by having KLCOA members sign their name to a single common letter. Please email KennisisConnectivity@yahoo.com if you would like your name and lake address to be added to the letter below. (This is important – we hope to add hundreds of names in support.)
Improved Landline Service – Last Fall, a number of property owners on Watts Rd indicated that they were experiencing major problems with their Bell landlines. Bell is planning to do significant service work this summer on the copper wires that provide this service to ensure that it is working properly.
Wireless Home Internet – Bell is planning to install “Wireless Home Internet”, a cellular-based technology to provide digital/internet service on the existing communications tower on Kennisis Lake Road this summer. This will make this higher speed connectivity available to about half the properties on Kennisis (based on current projections of “line of sight”, this is likely to include most of the west and north shore of Kennisis Lake, the western end of Wilkinson and the western end of Little Kennisis).
Letter to Federal & Provincial Governments in Support of the Universal Broadband Fund Application – (as above, please email kennisisconnectivity@yahoo.com if you would like your name & lake address added to this letter)
See letter here!