There may be faster Internet connections in Okotoks’ future.
Couns. Matt Rockley and Tanya Thorn are proposing a new bylaw to make fibre optic installation a requirement in all new developments.
The pair brought forward a notice of motion to council last month and it was revisited on April 10.
Rockley said the timing is right, with areas like D’Arcy Ranch and Wedderburn ready to break ground and a pending annexation of 1,950 hectares from the MD of Foothills.
“Developments are starting to queue up,” said Rockley. “We have a fair amount of areas that could be developing in the short to medium-term, so I think it’s important to get this in place so we don’t miss any opportunities to develop the infrastructure for a fibre optic utility.”
Introducing fibre optics to the new areas will allow more high-speed Internet connections in Okotoks, and having it done as part of the construction process reduces the cost to the Town exponentially, he said.
To install fibre optics after an area has been developed, the Town would have to rip up and then replace sidewalks, roads and landscaped areas, he said.
Thorn said it’s important to get access to fibre optic connections in Okotoks, because it’s becoming a need for businesses and residents.
“I equate it, quite frankly, to the telephones of yesteryear,” said Thorn. “Everybody needs access to it.”
She said the proposed bylaw deals only with having fibre optics installed in green field developments, though there may come a time when other areas of town could be retrofitted.
“Down that path there might be an opportunity for us to do some of that,” said Thorn. “But, we’ll have to look at the cost of that and where that goes.”
Okotoks is not alone in its quest for faster Internet, she said. Many municipalities across southern Alberta, such as Olds, are moving forward with fibre optics and developing plans to bring faster broadband service to their communities.
As technology changes, Thorn said more businesses are relying on fast connection speeds.
The Calgary Regional Partnership conducted feasibility studies in 2016 at the request of the Town of Okotoks exploring options for regional broadband service that could benefit the entire MD of Foothills and other communities like Nanton, she said.
The key to making communities fibre-ready is to tie in to Calgary, she said. The Town may have a cost-savvy solution to that problem, she said.
“We’ve had conversation and talked about connecting to that backbone and putting that line in at the same time as we do the water pipeline,” said Thorn. “We all have to connect to Calgary as the hub to make it all work, so this is an option.”
Ultimately, the goal is to have fibre optic coverage throughout the entire region, she said.
It may have to be done in stages, but she said over time there should be faster broadband connection through the Foothills.
It all begins by laying the foundation in new communities, said Thorn.
Council directed Town administration to investigate options that would have fibre optics included in new developments, she said.
At this time, Thorn said it looks promising.
“I can’t say I’ve really done a straw poll of ‘Are you in or are you out?,’ but I do think that overall we’ve had this discussion, we initiated the CRP study, so I think there is definitely support on council for us moving this forward,” said Thorn. “At least specifically for green field right now, because it’s pennies on the dollar to put fibre in at this stage in the game.”
