[BCC-list] Re: [Advisors] What happens when the adoption money runs out?

[James Van Leeuwen]

The shift in ARD's funding policy was not driven by growing demand from =
the community/municipal sector, so much as by ARD's experience with its =
first policy and the need for a more effective policy vis-a-vis reaching =
unserved and underserved areas.=20

That said, demand from the community level is slowly increasing, and the =
Olds FTTH initiative is certain to accelerate demand (we will be =
leveraging it towards this end).


The Alberta ICT Council will be hosting a strategy summit late this =
month focused on why the Alberta SuperNet is 'stuck'.

I've been invited, and will have the opportunity to explain that=20

Community leadership is essential to driving ICT deployment, adoption =
and employment in rural communities, and demand for SuperNet services;

Community leadership is lacking in rural Alberta because of aging =
demographics, economic complacency and misguided ideological resistance =
to public enterprise driving broadband development at the expense of =
opportunity for private enterprise.

Other contributing factors are a widespread lack of relevant technical =
expertise in rural communities, and the misguided opinion of many =
community leaders that strategic deployment of broadband and ICT should =
be the responsibility of government and industry (none of their =
business).

For lack of a sustained economic crisis in rural Alberta to drive =
creative thinking around economic development, we have adopted an =
opportunity- and vision-driven approach to community engagement for our =
aforementioned PICTURE initiative.=20

JvL



On 2012-11-05, at 12:08 PM, Kevin Battersby <kevin@battersby.net> wrote:

>=20
> A very good point Garth. The last time I had contact with one of the =
UoC people=20
> responsible for the Supernet uptake was mysteriously lagging at the =
community=20
> level. It would be very interesting to see what has changed.
>=20
> On November 5, 2012, Garth Graham wrote:
>> At one point, the Settles article notes, "Alberta's increasingly
>> progressive stance on community run initiatives."  Specifically who =
is
>> pushing that in the Alberta Government and why?
>=20
> --=20
> Regards,
> Kevin Battersby <kevin@battersby.net>
> 250-514-2063 Direct