Indigenous ISP lobbies to get piece of allocated fed funds

An indigenous telecom vying for federal support to provide Northern Manitoba communities with fibre internet is trying to claim a share of Innovation Canada money announced in January, following a breakup with another group that was the recipient of the government’s funds. Clear Sky Connections is trying to connect nearly 100,000 people in 63 communities in that part of the province, and registered last month to lobby the government seeking “funding from the Connect to Innovate program for Northern Manitoba First Nation communities, to expand telecommunications services for improved connectivity,” its registration said. This is the first time the group is lobbying under the Clear Sky name, according to the federal lobbyist registry. Previously, it has lobbied as social services organization First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba with similar objectives. Last month’s lobby registration succeeds a number of events that occurred beginning last year, when a pact was formed between Clear Sky, Wekitowak Communications, and internet service provider RFNow Inc. to connect underserved communities. The idea sprung from an interest by Northern Manitoba’s Mathias Colomb First Nation to partner with RFNow to connect their communities, RFNow spokesman Chris Kennedy said in an email. The groups initially submitted their own applications for federal money through its Connect to Innovation program, a five-year, $500-million plan to connect rural and remote communities with reliable high-speed internet. But ISED came back and said the applications must be unified, said Clear Sky CEO Lisa Clarke in a phone interview. The groups proceeded to discuss a merger and in November, agreed to use the Clear Sky Connections name, she said. In January, ISED announced the joint venture would get $33.5 million from the federal government and $20-million from the provincial government. With funding from Clear Sky, the total commitment came out to $63 million. The organization was to service 72 communities, including 37 First Nations. Wekitowak’s project will consist of 3,120 km of fibre burrowed into the ground, with backbone provided by RFNow and existing Manitoba Hydro fibre. The anticipated start date was this month with a target completion by March 2021, a backgrounder said. Total costs to complete the project, they say, are up to $65 million. After the announcement, Clear Sky did its own cost estimates and found it would cost $92 million in just the first phase of the effort to connect all the communities, and a later second phase that would require $75 million. It found partners in Broadband Communications North Inc. (BCN) and Distinct Infrastructure Group Inc. (DIG) to help make up the roughly $30 million difference it needed to fulfill phase one of the project. The new group, called Clear Sky Indigenous Network, announced the alliance in June and asked the group it left to stop using its name, which it recently agreed to, Clarke said. It now needed ISED to consider shifting money from the January announcement back to it, Clarke said. Clarke said her group has had contact with ISED officials who said the organization could possibly still have funding be reallocated back to them provided they can show they have the requisite partners and funds in place, but she noted that one ISED official couldn’t commit to that arrangement. Kennedy said RFNow and Wekitowak “would be surprised to hear that ISED is negotiating with any other group for these funds.” He noted that the group is authorized to spend up to 20 per cent of announced funding while everything is being finalized. ISED sent The Wire Report a technical briefing document that includes Krista Campbell, director general of digital programs at ISED, confirming that while Clear Sky was originally a proponent of the Wekitowak project, "they are no longer part of that agreement." Campbell also discussed the project process, which includes a conditional approval with some larger projects changing "marginally." In this case, she said the "project is actually well advanced." Late last month, RFNow and Wekitowak said in a press release that they were starting construction on the project after coming to an agreement with ISED on “key elements” of the proposal. “This project was almost allowed to be derailed by a negatively oriented and competing First Nations led group that also submitted a proposal under the same criteria and was not one of the projects announced by ISED on January 9, 2018,” the release said. “The non-successful entity has been misrepresenting their position and almost caused an entire region of Canada (Northern Manitoba) that currently has minimal services to lose all opportunity to move forward and ensure all communities are connected.” Not just money, part of the issue being raised by Clear Sky is the relationship with the community and rules related to consent that must be signed off by the First Nations before projects can take off. It says it has the full backing and consent of the First Nations to move on the project. “Despite CSC’s Manitoba First Nations supported mandate and work on the project, Federal partner has continued to ignore direction and community governance processes from First Nations on the project,” Clear Sky said in an August press release. Two chiefs said in the release said “it is imperative that Canada moves forward with First Nations in partnership, not by force.” The July announcement announcing Clear Sky’s new partnership noted that the first communities would be connected “within the next year pending all financial commitments are in place.” Kennedy said in an emailed answer his group is “negotiating in good faith with ISED to ensure this project moves forward and all communities get the service they need and deserve." “This public private partnership was set up to ensure this project succeeds,” Kennedy said in the email. “There is significant private investment that allows the project to move forward and has the backing of a private company that has the expertise from the construction phase to the business plan,” adding First Nations will be 100 per cent owners of the project after a decade. Meanwhile, Clarke said the alliance is also applying for a piece of the CRTC’s $750-million broadband fund. She noted that it would be “impossible” to complete their vision without government funding in place. In September, Shaw Communications Inc. led all telecoms with 14 communications, Rogers Communications Inc. had the second-most with nine, BCE Inc. had seven, Telus Corp. ended the month with six, and Xplornet Communications Inc. ended with six. — With reporting by Ahmad Hathout at ahathout@thewirereport.ca and editing by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca

Indigenous ISP lobbies to get piece of allocated fed funds

News | November 14, 2018

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Indigenous ISP lobbies to get piece of allocated fed funds

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