Rural communities disadvantaged without high speed internet: MHA Dean 

Marshall Dean, MHA for the Straits-White Bay North, says many rural communities on the island and in Labrador are still without broadband internet and the immense benefits that come from this link, despite government’s promises that they would have access to such service. 

MHA Dean raised the issue today in the House of Assembly during Question Period, challenging government to provide the same high speed internet service as those in the urban parts of the province.

“We have been receiving emails from people in many communities across Newfoundland and Labrador who have become  frustrated and impatient with the gap between what government pledged and the reality they still have no better than dial-up access,” says Dean.  “More often than not, these communities see broadband connectivity very near them, but their own communities and families have been passed over.”

Dean points to the community of Winterland on the Burin Peninsula, as well as a number in his own district that are frozen out of this vital service.  “While people in Griquet and Cook's Harbour have it, residents of St Anthony Bight, St Carol's, Great Brehat and Goose Cove, just kilometers away from St Anthony, do not have this access.

“In this technological age, when so much of our daily lives and collective progress depend on a reliable internet connection, government should have been more proactive in including everyone in this communication circle.  Government’s broadband initiative is focused on schools, government offices, libraries and other government institutions because they realize how critical this technology is to this sector of society.

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