The need for speed: Rural residents clamour for high-speed internet in East Gwillimbury

Several rural residents said they are paying more than $500 a month for subpar internet

Yorkregion.com
February 4, 2020
Simon Martin

Improving rural internet access is often a talking point for politicians, but in East Gwillimbury Brian Smith took matters into his own hands. When facing a decision regarding the poor internet options for his new house on Fairbairn Gate in 2019, Smith decided to build a 96-foot personal communications tower without proper approval -- setting off a controversy with his neighbours.

East Gwillimbury council has yet to give a recommendation as to what should happen with Smith’s tower, which is now being used by FiberSpeed to offer high-speed internet to people in the area.

“This tower has been life-changing for many families in the area,” Smith said. “I have gotten a few thank-you cards from children in my neighbourhood.”

While many people in the area use Xplornet, Smith said they aren’t taking any new customers because they are at full capacity. From Smith’s end, the lack of internet was a huge problem, and there were no viable solutions.

That sentiment was echoed by several residents at a public meeting last month. Katherine Sprigg said she frequently drives her kids to areas with public Wi-Fi so they can do homework. The speed of the internet at their house just doesn’t cut it. “We can’t even pull up Google Drive,” she said. “This is (a) far cry from a level playing field.”

Local resident Christina Rolston said she spent $5,000 setting up her property to get internet, only for it to be incredibly slow. “We never stream TV and our internet costs between $500 to $1000 a month,” she said. “We need internet. Everything is done online. Brian’s tower is our only solution at present.”

It was much the same tune from Janette Robertson, who said she pays $750 a month for internet from a hub. “Xplornet just doesn’t cut it. It is not fast enough for the downloads I need from work,” Robertson said.

FiberSpeed is offering unlimited data plans with speeds at 50 Mbps for $150 a month from Smith’s tower. Area resident Jamie Morphy has been desperate for better internet service for several years. When FiberSpeed starting offering service using Smith's tower, Morphy said things finally changed. "It's been a godsend," he said. "It has been a huge upgrade. To not have to worry about data limits every month is huge." Morphy is the founder of the East Gwillimbury Coalition for Better internet. Running two businesses from his home, Morphy said his need for better internet service is great.

The outrage over the lack of quality internet access for rural residents doesn’t surprise Ward 3 Coun. Scott Crone. It was the message he heard loud and clear from his constituents before the last election. A rural resident himself, Crone has experienced the problems firsthand. “My internet was horrible,” he said. As a member of the town’s broadband committee, Crone said things are likely to improve in the next year. “Bell is upping their game in the rural wireless market,” he said.

But Crone said there needs to be some urgency from all involved to make better internet happen sooner rather than later. In submissions sent to council from people in favour of Smith’s tower, it was not uncommon to see internet bills in excess of $500 a month. “We have people in the Third World with better internet than part of York Region,” he said. “Internet is no different than electricity and clean water. It is so essential to our way of life now.”

Crone called the situation on Fairbairn Gate a perfect microcosm of what rural residents are experiencing. “They have very nice homes, their lawns are pristine, but they have lousy internet,” he said.

Fellow Ward 3 Coun. Cathy Morton said she understands what rural residents are asking for, but said things need to go through the proper channels. “There are rules and regulations that have to be followed. They weren’t done,” she said. “It will be a difficult decision for council to make. We are damned if we do and damned if we don’t.”

Neighbours who are opposed to the tower due to its prominent location in the neighbourhood, like Ed Starr, suggested the town purchase the tower from Smith and move it to a more appropriate location to help bring the divided community back together. Neighbour Andre Paquette said 8 out of 9 neighbours in the direct vicinity of the tower oppose it. “It’s not just about the internet. This is about the location of the tower,” he said.

Council will provide a recommendation about the future of the tower at a council meeting in the next month.