ST. PAUL – MCSnet celebrated a milestone anniversary on June 19 with a gathering a Reunion Station that acknowledged the St. Paul business’ 30-year history.
Leo VanBrabant, who founded the internet service provider that now serves over 25,000 Albertans, told Lakeland This Week how the family owned and operated company began in 1995.
Commercial-based computers and the internet were not yet mainstream at the time, he said. It was risky to invest in what was yet an emerging technology.
“Back then, there was only dial up,” he recalls.
But he knew the internet was going to change society.
“Prior to me getting involved in technology, I was an insurance broker working for my father,” he says.
At his father’s office, everything had to be done manually, using pen and paper or typewriters.
He thought, “There’s got to be a better way.”
That’s when he began learning more about computers and eventually got into the computer business.
“I just saw that there was going to be more to this,” he says. When he heard about the internet, he felt it “was the future.”
And it was.
The years between 1995 to 2000 are regarded by many financial and technological institutions, and media outlets, as a period of large growth in internet services and technology.
The internet found its way to many homes in the early 2000s and the years that followed.
But before that, “It was a hard sell,” says VanBrabant. “Why would a person want the internet?”
It was also a hard sell when trying to get a loan from the bank.
“You need the numbers to justify the investment,” he explains. So, he ended up mortgaging his own properties to get cash and get going with the business, which included setting up towers and other necessities to set up an internet network.
The risk and investment paid off.
“A year or two later I get calls from people,” needing the internet, including farmers who require faster access to grain and cattle prices, he says. “That’s how it grew.”
“Of course, we were quite involved in schools too,” by setting up school labs as part of MCSnet’s computer business, adds VanBrabant.
The business grew from there.
But being an internet service provider, and a technology company, VanBrabant says MSCnet has to stay competitive and always has to evolve as technology continues to change.
“Today, there’s competition and in this business, if you snooze, you lose,” he says.
The competition is international.
Local internet service providers have to compete with giants like Starlink, who do not have to pay licensing fees for spectrum use, which is the radio frequency used for communication services that allow transmission of data over the air.
Despite challenges, VanBrabant says MCSnet continues to aim to better provide internet services to rural Albertans. The company is developing new technology that could offer faster speeds, he says, especially now that more people are transitioning out of cable to streaming services.
VanBrabant retired in 2019 but remains on MCSnet’s advisory board.
Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul Scott Cyr spoke at the anniversary celebration, thanking the company for being a part of the process of bringing more internet access to rural Albertans.
“I'm so thankful for all the good work that our MCSnet workers do,” he says.
Town of St. Paul Mayor Maureen Miller says she hopes the company will continue to thrive.
“Their story is more than technological innovation - it’s a story of values,” she says. “They built a company that truly reflects the community that it serves.”
While MCSnet’s contribution often flies under the radar, “their impact is deeply felt,” says the mayor.
From sponsoring local events, supporting non-profits, and ensuring rural voices have the same digital access as anyone in the world, “thank you for believing in rural Alberta, for investing in rural Alberta,” says Miller.
