Question 2 from David & Laura re: Connected Coast Project fibre optic network

Below is a response to one of 6 questions posed by David and Laura Slik on the email list on Oct 7, 2018.

Question 2. If elected, what will you do to investigate the opportunity to connect to the Strathcona Regional District’s subsea fibre-optic network?

Lasqueti has been identified as one of the places that could be connected to a sub-sea fibre optic cable to be laid along the coast of BC as part of the Connected Coast Project (www.connectedcoast.ca).

In Aug 2018, the qathet Regional Board passed a resolution to promote the Connected Coast Project to local Internet Service Providers and encourage them to explore means and ways of expanding their services to the unserved areas of the Regional District via access to the sub-sea fibre optic infrastructure. The staff report states that service providers, such as LIAS, could take a lead, and that the Regional District should engage with provincial discussions on the Connected Coast Project.

The first question is: does the community want to connect? That would require consultation, after more information is available. Public consultation is included in the Connected Coast Project plan “to ensure the project is going to meet current and future needs while taking advantage of local resources and opportunities already existing in the regions” (www.connectedcoast.ca/consultation).

Another important question is: would LIAS be willing and able to act as the service provider? That is a question for LIAS. If the community is in favour, the Regional District could provide support and possibly have a facilitation role.