The County of St. Paul recently received a Rural Broadband Grant from the Province of Alberta in the amount of $341,250 that will be used to build communication towers to provide high-speed Internet access throughout the county, according to a press release.
The County of St. Paul “made application to the Province to access the Rural Broadband grant monies in August of 2012," according to the release. A report was compiled by the Association of Municipal Districts and Counties that outlined the areas within Alberta where residents are unable to access high-speed Internet, and pointed out 13 townships within the County of St. Paul where this was an issue.
With the grant, it is expected that the County will be able to have nine new tower sites within the County of St. Paul.
“We expect to be able to serve an additional 535 subscribers in areas that are currently unable to get access to high-speed Internet," said the release. “We expect all nine towers to be constructed within one year."
The grant will cover 75 per cent of the cost of building the new communication towers, and County of St. Paul CAO Sheila Kitz said that they have entered into an agreement with MCSNet to cover the remaining 25 per cent of the cost.
The County will retain ownership of the towers for a 10-year period, after which the towers will be transferred to MCSNet as part of their tower infrastructure. During the 10-year period, MCSNet will be responsible for maintaining, replacing, upgrading and supporting all equipment and the network at no cost to the County.
