The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
There is a strong possibility that within months, Snow Lake could say goodbye to the long waits and slow downloads of dial-up service and say hello to broadband high-speed Internet access. Providing that the Town of Snow Lake signs on as an anchor tenant with Gillamnet (agrees to purchase the company's services for a year at an agreed to price), the service could begin almost immediately.Ê Gillamnet, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) based out of Gillam, Manitoba has proposed to bring broadband wireless Internet service to Snow Lake.Ê Through use of Manitoba Hydro's fiber optic line to Ponton, and by radio signal from there to Hydro's Herb Lake Substation, the company's service could then be offered to the homes and businesses within the community. Tom Motyka, of Gillamnet, released the ISP's rate structure in a recent email which was discussed at the Town of Snow Lake's December 21 meeting.Ê Those rates appear to be comparable, if not identical, to those found in other communities where a similar service is offered. Initially, there is a $200 fee for the self-install modem kit, plus a $100 refundable damage deposit on the modem, which Motyka states must be paid before the modem will be sent to the customer. Although modem installation is simple enough for most people, Motyka added that for an additional fee, professional installation would also be available. However, this would be determined at a later date. Basic home packages will begin at $27.95 and include 1.5 gigabytes (GB) of transfers per month and up to five email accounts.Ê The company's Silver package will be $34.95 (five GB per month, up to five email accounts), and their Gold package will be $44.95 (7.5 GB per month up to five email accounts).Ê To deal with the problem of people who go over their allotted transfers, additional usage will be charged at $1 per 100 megabytes (MB). Speeds for the community's hi-speed connection will be burstable (intermittently reach) to 1.5 mbps, but on average will be in the neighborhood of 700 kbps to 1 mbps, depending on network traffic. On the business side of things, Motyka advised that the modem install kit and damage deposit would be the same as for residential users; however, packages will be structured somewhat differently. The basic business package, or B1, will be $59.95 and include 7.5 GB of transfers per month, plus web hosting and 15 email accounts.Ê B2 will be $99.95 (13 GB, web hosting, and 20 email accounts), and B3 will be $174.95 (25 GB, web hosting and 25 email accounts). Web hosting will also be offered to residential customers (through a third party provider), but at an additional cost of $4.95 per month, which includes a 100 MB web space and 1GB of transfers per month. This news comes at a great time, as it appears the community's dial-up service provider is not interested in upgrading their service. "MTS does not have any plans at this time to deliver the high-speed service in the Snow Lake area," said Michelle BaileyÐPicard, Public Affairs Coordinator for MTS Corporate Communications. However, BaileyÐ Picard added that the corporation has in the past worked with a number of communities where the costs involved in bringing hi-speed service were too expensive. "Many officials in these communities have sought out funds through federal broadband programs and have also gone to their local ratepayers to pay for a portion of the significant investment required to deliver the service," she said. "If a positive business case (existing communications facilities, geography, number of businesses, etc.) can be made as a result of that type of arrangement, then we will look at delivering the service to that area." Residents and businesses in Snow Lake wanting more information on the broadband proposal or if there are those who would like to sign up to be the first installed, a contact name and number will be available through the Town Office during the first week of this month.
