In response to your letter received by the Manager – Municipal Relations for Bell, concerning High Speed Internet service in Springwater, Ontario, I am happy to inform you that your neighbourhood is scheduled for network installation as part of our Fibre to the Node (FTTN) program. Fibre to the Node utilizes the latest technology to deliver Fibe TM high speed Internet to neighbourhoods.
Your neighbourhood is at the edge of the Barrie exchange area which does present a few technical challenges. Bell must first apply for a Joint Use Hydro permit as we will be placing fibre cable on a significant number of Hydro poles. Bell also needs municipal consent for a road crossing to place a new section of buried cable.
The network design team has confirmed that construction for your neighbourhood is set to begin in November or December, upon receipt of the required permits. However if delays are encountered, our timeline may be impacted by winter conditions prolonging cable placement work by three to four months. We therefore estimate that the new Fibe TM services will be available some time between March and June, 2011 dependant upon these variables.
Once the work is completed, residents served in your neighbourhood will be informed of the availability of new Bell services. For your reference a map has been prepared (attached) to show where the installation of the high speed equipment is to be located in proximity to your address.
As the estimated time approaches and you have any questions, you may wish to contact 310-BELL (2355) for service options and availability.
Regards,
Associate Director - Strategic Planning and Communications
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today directed the large telephone companies to rebate $310.8 million to their urban home telephone customers. At the same time, the CRTC has approved a plan for the deployment of broadband Internet service to 287 rural and remote communities.Bell Canada's response:
Over the next four years, broadband Internet service will be rolled out to communities where it is currently not available. This service will be comparable to urban areas and fast enough to link residents to telehealth services and bring about business and educational opportunities. The large telephone companies will use funds that have accumulated in their deferral accounts to pay for these initiatives.
"Bell had hoped to bring the same world-leading wireless HSPA+ technology to small unserved communities in Ontario and Québec that we've rolled out to 93% of the Canadian population already. More than 100 such locations - communities like La Patrie, Cloud Bay, Denbigh, Morson, Stratton, Wawa - would have had access to the fastest mobile Internet access speeds and the latest voice and data products and services available. In fact, a significant number of these communities wrote letters of support for our HSPA+ proposal directly to the CRTC. Instead, the CRTC insists we roll out less-advanced DSL technology." said George Cope, President and CEO of Bell and BCE Inc.I am not an expert but I'm not a newbie either. I absolutely recognize the importance of investing in technology, especially the internet which connects us all. However, my experience with wireless internet (HSPA and HSPA+) has been quite fickle at best.
Here’s what I know (and don’t know). Our new 4G network will allow us to offer much faster speeds than the 1Meg, with robust bandwidth allowances. We haven’t announced the packages and pricing yet (that’s coming in the next few months).
In terms of the network build.. there are 2 components to the network. The 4G fixed wireless component is under construction this fall. The 4G satellite component gets going next summer when a new satellite launches. The plan is for us to complete our 4G national coverage by 2012.
What I don’t know at this time is (1) the specifics of when the build is coming to your area, and (2) whether we’ll be servicing your area with fixed-wireless or satellite (or both). The network engineers are still working through these details, and so.. they’re not available yet.
So.. I know this isn’t the level of detail you were probably hoping for, but.. I’m giving you the straight goods. Overall I think the answer is that something much, much better is coming your way by 2012. I’m going to ask our Customer Care group to keep your name handy, so we can reach out to you at the appropriate time.
I’ve never heard of a trunk line causing any problems for our service, but it is true (and will continue to be true) that trees can have an impact on our fixed wireless signal, and that weather can have an impact on satellite signal.
My other thought for you is that startup costs with Xplornet satellite are a lot less than the $500 you quoted, and we offer a money back guarantee which I believe covers the install. If the 1Mbps service is something you’d like to investigate your local dealer could give you complete information…
Thanks for your note,
Keep your fingers crossed!I was directed to your website via a Globe and Mail article regarding the establishment of a 4G wireless network in rural areas.
I am spearheading a community effort to get high speed internet to our neighbourhood. We live in a rural area located between a suburban town (Angus) and a fully serviced urban area () yet we are not able to access the internet services that both of these communities get to enjoy. Our area is heavily treed and is adjacent to a major hydro line corridor. Because of this, the ground to air signal internet providers can only offer marginal service, at best. Barrie
Could you please provide us with some details as to when our area could be serviced with a consistent, reliable, and high speed internet connection? Also, will our location and the trees/hydro lines be an issue with Xplornet services?
Please feel free to access our blog at: http://highspeedonparrplease.blogspot.com/ and/or our Twitter account at: http://twitter.com/HiSpeedParrPlz
You may also contact me via email or at ---.---.----. Thank you.
October 16, 2010: 10:00am - 4:00pmBring photo id with you (driver's license, photo health card, passport, utility bill, tax bill, etc.)
Springwater Administration Centre, 2231 Nursery Road, Minesing.
October 16, 2010: 10:00am - 4:00pm
Minesing Community Centre, 2347 Ronald Road, Minesing.
October 16, 2010: 10:00am - 4:00pm
Springwater Room, Elmvale Community Centre, 14 George Street, Elmvale.
October 25, 2010: 10:00am to 8:00pm
Minesing Community Centre, 2347 Ronald Road, Minesing.
"Currently, the network maxes out at 8 megabits per second (mbps), while the new 4G network can attain speeds of 40 mbps - a number that should more than double to 100 mbps by 2011."Thank you Sandy for bringing this to our attention!
We are writing Rogers Communications today to appeal for high speed internet access to be provided for our neighbourhood. We believe that this installation would not only be beneficial for us, but for Rogers as well. We ask that you consider our request and direct it to the person who can best establish a solution.BackgroundWe live at 2 Parr Boulevard in the Township of Springwater, County of Simcoe. Our street alone contains 44 estate homes. The subdivision is bounded by Sunnidale Road (County Road 40) to the north, County Road 90 to the south, and is located between the City of Barrie (population 125,000) and the Town of Angus (population 10,212, including Canadian Forces Base Borden). Both communities are fully serviced with multiple high speed internet service providers.I have attached an aerial photograph of the area taken in 2008. In this small overhead picture, there are at least 108 residences in the immediate vicinity as well as the Essa Transformer Station operated by Hydro One.It is our understanding that:
- Parr Boulevard and its homes have been pre-wired with cable lines;
- Rogers has cable lines installed along County Road 90;
- Rogers is currently providing cable and high speed internet access to residents of County Road 90.
ProposalIf our assumptions above are correct, there are two opportunities for Rogers to use existing infrastructure to service our neighbourhood:1. Rogers could secure an easement through two private properties (one on County Road 90 and one on Parr Boulevard) to connect the existing lines. Approximately 162 metres of cable, trench, and easement would be required. Or,2. Should Rogers not be able to make arrangements with two adjacent property owners (one each on County Road 90 and Parr Boulevard), Rogers could utilize the existing Hydro One corridor to connect to Parr Boulevard requiring approximately 345 metres of cable, trench, and an easement agreement with Hydro One Networks and one or two homeowners.Either way, there is a potential connection for at least 44 households to connect to the existing Rogers communications system.What’s In It For Us?We will not provide a large discussion as to why high speed internet is an important and integral service to a community as we are sure you are well aware of the benefits. But we would ask you to imagine your own life without high speed internet access at home for months on end. Think of what it is like to not have access for even one week. We can tell you that it is an isolating and frustrating existence.As a result of this lack of service, our neighbourhood is denied opportunities that could benefit people financially, emotionally, and socially.What’s In It for Rogers Communications?There would be numerous benefits to Rogers should high speed internet access be proved to Parr Boulevard. For example:
- By becoming the original supplier of high speed internet to the area, a loyalty pattern could be established by the 44 households in the area. That is 44 accounts not held by Bell, Telus, or any of the other emerging providers. People are generally lazy and typically do not switch providers once they are established.
- If high speed internet is provided to the area, there are further opportunities for Rogers loyalty by “bundling” other services (such as home phone, internet, cable tv, wireless phone accounts). Once residents establish that they can get a high speed connection from only one provider (Rogers), they may be willing to switch all of their other household accounts to Rogers to benefit from bundled savings.
- If high speed internet is provided to the area, people may consider operating businesses from home at which time Rogers could also benefit from additional business accounts including phone lines, fax lines, cellular services, etc.
- From a revenue point of view, current high speed internet rates are approximately $45/month. That is $540 a year, per household. With 44 households on the street, there is a potential investment in Rogers of $23,760 per year. That is for internet service alone and does not include the potential for the bundling of other services and loyalty that could possibly be attributed to Rogers.
We understand the difficulties and cost of servicing rural areas, however, there appears to be an adequate population base and the proximity to existing Rogers cable infrastructure to support the connection. We ask you to reconsider our neighbourhood-specific situation and ask that a solution be considered to provide a high speed internet connection.We would be willing to engage in any dialogue, correspondence, or meetings necessary to implement a strategy. We can be reached at ---.---.---- or ---.---.----. We thank you for your time and consideration.
First I would like to apologize for the length of time responding to this email. Unfortunately your email was downloaded to my other email program while I was set up my new program (outlook) and I did not notice it till lat night. You were the first email that I received and luckily for me, (not so much for you) the only email that went unnoticed.
I have been very busy personally going door to door and hope to meet as many of the voters as I can before Election Day. I will be in you area in the coming days and hope to meet with you personally.
I to have similar issues with high speed connectivity, although I do have high speed with Bell , it is not by choice but necessity. Last year I contacted Rogers Canada inquiring as to what is the requirements are for them to come into our communities and supply the homes with cable service. I included the communities, Grenfel and the Parr blvd area, the amount of homes that only have one service provider and the ones that have none. There reply was nothing short of disappointing. Pretty much thanks for the response but since we have plans in place you don’t fit them, it would be prohibitive for them to install in established communities, unless they have something such as a newer subdivision that they would be running lines to.
From the position of councillor and the ability to enable some sort of action towards getting either more choice or just the availability of high-speed connectivity, I would have to say that I am not sure of being able to have any chance of making such a promise. I will say this, that I will explore all the possible avenues that are needed to get what is best for our communities and as well I feel that in this day and age that it should be a necessity. In the strategic growth and development plans that have been adopted by council it is recommended that access to good infrastructure is a necessity to ensure good planned growth for this township and I feel that existing communities need to be brought up to speed with these plans we have for future development.
I hope this helps answer your question.
I would email you a copy of my brochure but its size restricts this, even with my high-speed.
Hopefully I will have a chance to meet you personally this coming week when going door to door in your area.
Thanks
For your email
Jim Roberts
Candidate Councillor Ward 4
I was in your neighbourhood on Wednesday and left flyers in the door. I am aware of the high speed internet issue and I hope to take it up with the Public Works Manager. The Township does not have and Jurisdiction on this matter however we can pressure either Bell or Rogers to try and address the lack of service. My web site is www.danfordeputy.com
Thanks for you inquiry.
Dan
Good Morning,
Thanks kindly for your message.
I live in Hillsdale and understand your concern with regards to high speed internet or actually lack of......It is like a big waiting game until a larger provider establishes lines through our "country areas".
I am not sure if you are in an older home or a newer subdivision. One thing that I would do in the capacity of Deputy Mayor is to bring it to Council. We could discuss that when newer subdivions are being planned that internet suppliers be included at the planning stages. It would then offer access to existing residences. It would also bring that service to those people in a smaller community and offer them that service at a comparable rate.
That is just an idea. We personally have used the "sticks" that they offer through Bell and Rogers.
One approach I hope to bring to Council if I am successful in my campaign is to work with concerned residents just like you, that communicate with me what is happening with them. I think responsible Government is elected officials and residents working together to find solutions.
Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time. There is a Meet the Candidate in Minesing on Oct. 6 at 7:30 just fyi. If I don't see you there maybe I will see you on my trails as I go from door to door.
Kindest regards,
Alison McLeod
Good Morning!
Thank you for your email. We have received your email with your address along with your phone number and postal code. I have checked to see if high speed dsl would be available and unfortunately it is not available at this time. They have not upgraded your phone lines at this time so that you can get high speed dsl service. Please check back with us in the near future as high speed dsl could become available.
If you have any further questions please contact us at 1-800-788-0363 and Press 3 for Customer service and we will be happy to help you.
Thank you and hope that you have a great day.
Regards,
Customer Care
Vianet Internet Solutions
Hi ---- Sorry I was so long getting back to you I live on Baldwick lane very close to Parr Boulevard and I have the Bell system it is faster than dial up but it is not high speed. I think that the council could lobby Bell to get high speed in this area . I have a small information card that I will be getting around to every house that I can. Hope to meet you Jim Chubb
We are writing Bell Canada today to appeal for high speed internet access to be provided for not only our home, but also for our neighbourhood. We believe that this installation would not only be beneficial for us, but for Bell Canada as well. We ask that you consider our request and direct it to the person who can best establish a solution.
Background
We live at -- Parr Boulevard in the Township of Springwater, County of Simcoe. Our street alone contains 44 estate homes. The subdivision is bounded by Sunnidale Road (County Road 40) to the north, County Road 90 to the south, and is located between the City of Barrie (population 125,000) and the Town of Angus (population 10,212, including Canadian Forces Base Borden). Both communities are fully serviced with multiple high speed internet service providers.
I have attached an aerial photograph of the area taken in 2008. In this small overhead picture, there are at least 108 residences in the immediate vicinity as well as the Essa Transformer Station operated by Hydro One.
Also visible in this aerial photograph, is a Bell telecommunications facility located at 2129 Sunnidale Road – a mere 0.8km from the beginning of our street. We contacted Bell Canada and have been advised that a high speed dsl internet connection is not currently available to our home. To say that we are perplexed is an understatement. According to Bell Canada, our opportunities are:
We have also contacted the County of Simcoe regarding their Rural Connections Broadband Program in conjunction with Bell Aliant (a Bell Canada company). We have been advised that if successful, the maximum speed for this service at our location is up to 2 mbps. A quick visit to the Bell website advises that this is the same maximum speed as dial-up service.
- Dial-up service; or
- Bell mobile internet stick with speeds up to 7mbps (the advertised rate of up to 21 mbps is not available in our area due to obsolete tower infrastructure).
Given the above and after researching the coverage maps provided on the Bell Canada website, we ordered the Novatel U998 stick. To date, the service has been completely unacceptable. At best, we receive one bar of signal strength with a connection that lasts for 30 minutes. Typically, our service is intermittent, unreliable, and frustrating. We have contacted Bell Canada technical support (ticket #3000250) but to date, we have not received a reply or a solution.
In the year 2010, an internet speed of up to 2mbps is completely unacceptable. We live in a populated area adjacent to a Bell facility, Hydro One facility, and are located between an urban centre and a suburban area, both serviced with high speed internet providers. We have confirmed with Hydro One personnel that high speed internet is available at their site. A resident of our street was one of the trades participating in the construction of the 2129 Sunnidale Road Bell telecommunications facility and was told at the time that the facility would be able to service our street with high speed internet access. This unfortunately has not yet occurred.
What’s In It For Us?
We will not provide a large discussion as to why high speed internet is an important and integral service to a community as we are sure you are well aware of the benefits. But we would ask you to imagine your own life without high speed internet access at home for months on end. Think of what it is like to not have access for even one week. We can tell you that it is an isolating and frustrating existence.
As a result of this lack of service, our neighbourhood is denied opportunities that could benefit people financially, emotionally, and socially.
What’s In It for Bell Canada?
There would be numerous benefits to Bell Canada should high speed internet access be proved to Parr Boulevard. For example:
We understand the difficulties and cost of servicing rural areas, however, there appears to be an adequate population base and the proximity to an existing Bell Canada facility to support the infrastructure. We ask you to reconsider our neighbourhood-specific situation and ask that a solution be considered to provide a high speed dsl connection.
- By becoming the original supplier of high speed internet to the area, a loyalty pattern could be established by the 108 residents in the area. That is 108 accounts not held by Rogers, Telus, or any of the other emerging providers. People are generally lazy and typically do not switch providers once they are established.
- If high speed internet is provided to the area, there are further opportunities for Bell Canada loyalty by “bundling” other services (such as home phone, internet, satellite tv, wireless). Once residents establish that they can get a high speed connection from only one provider (Bell Canada), they may be willing to switch all of their other household accounts to Bell.
- If high speed internet is provided to the area, people may consider operating businesses from home at which time Bell Canada could also benefit from additional business accounts including phone lines, fax lines, cellular services, etc.
- From a revenue point of view, current high speed internet rates are approximately $45/month. That is $540 a year, per household. With 44 households on the street, there is a potential investment in Bell Canada of $23,760 per year. That is for internet service alone and does not include the potential for the bundling of other services and loyalty that could possibly be attributed to Bell Canada.
We would be willing to engage in any dialogue, correspondence, or meetings necessary to implement a strategy. We can be reached at ---.---.----. We thank you for your time and consideration.
I would like to welcome you to the area! It's nice to see a new resident take interest in the campaign. My campaign material will be printed this week, I waited for today to go to print as today was the acceptance of nominations.Tomorrow, I will post the letter I sent to Bell Canada at the beginning of August. I have not yet received a reply. I will also send a copy of this letter to Candidate McConkey. Maybe she can get the ball rolling for us!
I would first like to disclose that I am an employee of Bell Canada.
In answer to your question I know that the County of Simcoe launched an initiative called Rural Connections in order to bring High Speed Connection to Simcoe County. As a Councillor I would like to gain an understanding of the pocket of areas without high speed in my Ward. I would follow up on the Rural Connections initiative and understand the future roadmap/footprints for our area and communicate to you my initial findings and possible next steps. I understand that High Speed Infrastructure benefits economic, learning and social development and I will provide my support and encourage opportunities that enable High Speed in Rural areas with focus on Ward 4.
If you would like to call I can arrange to drop off my campaign brochure to your home.
Any further questions please do not hesitate to ask
Thanks
Sandy
P.S I have attached the webpage with the Rural Connection announcement
http://www.simcoe.ca/ws_cos/groups/public/@pub/@cos/@ci/@nr/documents/web_content/wscos_004660.pdf
Hello everyone,I will be posting their replies to the blog as they are received.
Thank you for running in the 2010 municipal election! I got your contact information from the Township of Springwater's website.
I am interested in reviewing your platforms prior to the October election. Do any of you have a website I can refer to or a brochure you could email?
I recently moved to the southwestern portion of the Township and now live in the Parr Boulevard/Sunnidale Road vicinity. My major concern with living in the area is the lack of connectivity to a reliable high speed internet connection (either DSL or cable). There are many families in the area who feel this as a concern as well. As a Councillor, how would you propose to address this challenge?
I look forward to your reply. Thank you and good luck!
