Two neighbouring communities are struggling to agree on how to bring fibre optics to their towns.
Black Diamond and Turner Valley Town councils have opposing views on having Taylor Warwick Consulting draw up a business case for a joint broadband project that would bring higher speed Internet and uploading and downloading capacities to residences and businesses. Both councils will go back to the drawing board to decide the next step.
The $18,500 business case would have provided potential business models, operational structures, governance options and capitalization requirements for broadband fibre-optic infrastructure. The towns would have split the cost.
Fibre optic lines carry digital information over longer distances and at higher bandwidths, or data rates, than wire cables. Signals travel with less loss through fibre optics, which are immune to electromagnetic interference.
Taylor Warwick Consulting, based in Sherwood Park, is working with the Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP) to evaluate options to enhance the availability and quality of broadband services across the region.
Turner Valley council agreed to pay up to $10,000 to cover half the estimated cost of the business case at its April 17 meeting, however, Black Diamond council didn’t support it at its meeting two days later.
“I think it’s a waste of money,” said Black Diamond Deputy Mayor Mike Ross. “We’ve had so many meetings about broadband that we’ve got as much information as there is to gather for the time being. We already know we can’t afford to build our own system. Why pay for a study to confirm that?”
Mayor Glen Fagan told council Taylor Warwick Consulting has been providing business case studies to other communities. In April, Warwick attended a Friendship Agreement Meeting, held jointly between Black Diamond and Turner Valley, and pitched the idea of a business case that would provide details about alternatives to broadband.
Coun. Brian Marconi said a private company should operate a future broadband system.
“I’m not in favour of any government competing with private enterprise that has the expertise and deep pockets,” he said. “I don’t believe in spending $9,250 of taxpayers’ hard-earned money on the study.”
Marconi said two private companies expressed interest in providing fibre optics to Black Diamond, and wouldn’t cost the Town anything.
Turner Valley Mayor Kelly Tuck said council supported the business case because it gives options for fibre optics.
“In my personal opinion only, when you’re paying ratepayers’ dollars it would be in council’s best interest to have a business case behind it,” she said. “Establishing a business case ensures when you’re moving forward you are doing the right thing for the residents, first of all, and also the businesses.”
Tuck said the topic of fibre optics has been something the Town has been exploring for a couple of years.
“We’ve always had a staff member attending all of the CRP meetings and dealing with any service providers,” she said. “Fibre optics is definitely the way to go. All of council and administration acknowledges that.”
Following Black Diamond Town council’s decision, Tuck said the fibre optics issue will be brought back to council so it can move forward with a plan to provide it to residents and merchants in the future.
“We know that we need to move ahead with it,” she said. “There are a lot of options and we will look at each individual case. We’ve had a couple of options from the private sector. We know it’s a need for our community.”
Tuck said while she respects Black Diamond council’s decision, she feels that working together to bring broadband to residents and merchants would provide better buying power.
