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Story Idea?
Better Farming
January 2017
HIGH-SPEED
INTERNET
high-density areas do,” Hogan says.
In Hogan’s view, the Internet
“really is the fourth utility now.” For
that reason, “the UN has called it a
human right.”
But, he adds, “the current connec-
tivity (in southwestern Ontario) is so
poor now …What they (farmers) are
used to is really, really horrible.”
SWIFT has high hopes, as do its
investors.
Crowley-Arklie, in Minister Leal’s
office, says that “the SWIFT project
will expand access to broadband by
delivering high-quality, fibre-optic
coverage to over 300 communities
and 3.5 million residents in south-
western Ontario, including the
municipalities of Caledon and
Niagara.”
“Our government,” she said in a
statement, “understands that access to
affordable broadband connectivity is
a key ingredient to innovation and
economic growth to rural Ontario
and our agri-food sector.
“It allows families to stay in touch,
connects businesses with the world,
and makes our rural communities
investment ready so they are able to
do business.”
Hogan says that one way broad-
band might help is through easing the
adoption of precision agriculture.
“We’re not making any more
farmland,” he says. “We need to make
every acre more productive.”
This goal can be achieved “with
precision farming and GPS technolo-
gy,” but all those technologies “need
to call home” to a hosting/cloud
location to store their data.
In essence, he argues, they need
rural broadband. They need SWIFT.
Taking notice
What’s interesting about the case of
broadband in rural Ontario is that the
story is not peculiar to this region of
Canada. As Clark Somerville com-
ments, in each rural community he
visits, he has heard people discussing
rural Internet.
Rural Ontario is not alone in
facing the problem of expanding
access.
Southwestern Alberta, Manitoba
and the Atlantic provinces, for
example, are dealing with similar
issues. And, importantly, they are
watching and learning to see how
progress is being made.
What can be said about all those
places is that the benefits of connec-
tivity need to be realized.
At one time we had to think about
the benefits of railway building, then
electrification, and then telephones.
Today, it’s the Internet.
BF
Poor Internet has become a barrier to education for rural children.
Artfoliophoto/iStock/Getty Images Plus photo