Bobcaygeon Promoter, November 29, 2001

NetScoop: Connect Ontario

by Anne Panter


      At the Nov 12 meeting, CoKL Council approved $35,000 funding for a "Connect Ontario" program. This was reported in the next day's Independent under the headline "Connecting city folks from Bexley to Pontypool". Anyone who has read previous NetScoop columns might assume I'd be delighted. Haven't I moaned about being a "second class citizen" on the internet, because high-speed access is not available in my neck of the woods? But no, this looks more like an old-fashined medicine show, with someone hawking dreams rather than cures.

      First, here's the hype, and the source of that headline: In the staff recommendation presented to Council by Percy Luther (Director of Corporate Services) and Linda Rickard of WRED (Women & Rural Economic Development): "The plan will provide a strong case to secure a $1.5 million project to put the needed infrastructure in place throughout the city". And, according to the attached letter from Ms Rickard, the project would "provide the community with the technology to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban areas". In the explanatory notes, under "what will this do for our community?" is the comment "A wonderful [municipal] web site has been developed, but people in communities such as Bethany and Kinmount can not access it".

      Exciting stuff! But when I checked the Connect Ontario FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) at the Ontario Government web site (www.est.gov.on.ca/English/Connect/faqe.htm) I found the following:

Q #10: Does Connect Ontario provide funding to develop telecommunications infrastructure?

A: No. Connect Ontario does not provide funding to develop telecommunications infrastructure such as the installation and maintenance of fibre optic systems, central office equipment, wireless systems, etc.

      So, that's what Connect Ontario is not. I printed off about 15 pages of what it is, and I'll try to summarize that here.

      Connect Ontario is an $82 million provincial initiative to encourage investment in technology: $50 million from MEST (Ministry of Energy, Science & Technology), plus $32 million from MNR (Ministry of Natural Resources) for the "GeoSmart" program. The plan is to create 50 "connected smart communities" by 2005, a "smart community" being one which is "establishing the ... information technology infrastructure to transform the way in which business is conducted and [services] accessed". The plan will fund (a) Infrastructure Business Plans and (b) Infrastructure Projects. The "Business Plan" is to "develop the comprehensive business case" for the actual project, including: "process & engineering design, protocols & standards, ownership of equipment & software, maintenance & support, and proposed costs". The CoKL business plan will cost $100,000: $35,000 from municipal taxes, $15,000 from "partners", and $50,000 from Connect Ontario (provincial taxes). Part (b), the actual project ($1.5 million), is to "enable public access to a broad range of community information and services through a one-window electronic 'portal'". Examples include 24-hour on-line government services, or "an electronic-based economic development and investor attraction service". Note that these are software: data-base applications. They will need hardware to run, and internet access for the people wanting to use them, but these things are not included in the Connect Ontario program.

      So is that what this is about? Spending $1.5 million so that people can pay their taxes and renew their drivers' licences at one location, or a web site where investors can get CoKL statistics? That's certainly not what Council was led to believe. On the other hand, it's encouraging that the plan doesn't allow public money to compete with private enterprise.

      When I asked Linda Rickard about the promise to "improve the level of communication service across the City" she said the satement wasn't misleading, because matching funds can be used for infrastructure, and organizations are offering their infrastructure as part of the plan. Note, too, that "matching funds" can be "in-kind" rather than dollars, for instance the employee time of participants. But, hey... go back to the original sales pitch: the Council package included answers to "what is broadband?" and "why is broadband important?" It didn't actually say that that is what we're buying. And the rural-urban "digital divide" Ms. Rickard wants to bridge? Is that between, say, Coboconk and Lindsay, or between Lindsay and Toronto? Meanwhile, if people in Kinmount and Bethany, or anyone else who can't get, or can't afford, broadband access, can't use the CoKL web site with a 56k modem, then the problem is with the web site, not it's customers.

The Kawartha Internet Users' Group meets on the second Thursday of each month, 7pm, at the Lions Club, Main St., Bobcaygeon. New faces are always welcome




apanter@kawartha.net

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