General Manager of Hay Communications Angela Lawrence expressed her disappointment.
Recent provincial investments in internet infrastructure have welcomed harsh criticism from a local telecommunications operator that says despite attempts to alert the province of overlaps, new lines will be installed in areas that they already serve.
When the province announced their plans to expand to our local area, according to Angela Lawrence, Hay Communications General Manager, they raised the alarm that some areas the province had flagged as unserved, were flagged in error,
Local telecom provider Tuckersmith Communications Cooperative also confirmed that there is overlap with some of their services, but were unable to provide comment at this time.
The lack of action is disappointing, says Lawrence,
Lawrence says that they identified areas that were incorrectly marked by the province that were in actuality unoccupied areas (such as Hay swamp) or areas that were serviced by Hay,
She says that the addition is not only unnecessary, but that installing it will likely cost Hay a lot of time and resources to locate buried lines, and repair them as they inevitably are cut while the new lines are installed.
Hay is ahead of the game due to an investment in their facilities that has been dictated by their company priorities, says Lawrence,
When asked about the situation, MPP Lisa Thompson responded with the following statement:
“I am aware of and understand the concerns that have been raised by the community and local telecommunication companies. I have shared their concerns with the Ministry of Infrastructure. Our government remains committed to delivering reliable high-speed internet for every community across the province by 2025.”
At the time of publication, the Ministry of Infrastructure has not responded to myFM’s request for comment.
Written by: B. Shakyaver