[Advisors] Openparliament.ca

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 16:30:33 -0600

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        Hi
  To add to Darlene's story.=C2=A0 I am currently in Costa Rica - a 
developing country but you believe that anywhere in Costa Rica you can 
access WIFI and watch all the TV you want including Netflix on your 
computer.=C2=A0 There is some irony in this as the Federal government has 
just contributed 50 million to build new homes.=C2=A0
  As someone said "shut the door'
  =C2=A0
  Marie

On Sun, 10 Feb 2013 14:49:50 -0700, James Van Leeuwen  wrote:

         They see the problem Darlene. 

  They just can't do anything about it.=C2=A0

I confer regularly with an associate who has consulted to the 
Government on rural broadband infrastructure.=C2=A0

  If there is no opportunity for the private sector to profit from 
public investment in infrastructure, it doesn't get built. 

  Public-Private Partnership (P3) is the only game in town, but the 
business case for rural/remote infrastructure is too weak for the 
private sector to take seriously.=C2=A0

  Unless they are at risk of a serious penalty for regulatory non-complianc=
e. 

  Government lacks not only sufficient money for needed infrastructure 
investments, but expertise to properly structure and manage the 
investments. 

  This became strikingly clear during the last program for rural and 
northern broadband funding, which my consulting associate got to watch 
up close. 

  Industry has lots of money they could use for building rural 
infrastructure, but they want government to carry more than its fair 
share of risk. 

  Government can't afford to carry more than its fair share of 
risk,=C2=A0so nothing substantive happens. 

  We are offered only band-aids and fig leaves, and told reassuringly 
that these will more than suffice to meet our needs...=C2=A0despite ample 
proof to the contrary. 

  Lots of foreign investors would be willing to carry their fair share 
of risk, if they were allowed to control the infrastructure they were 
investing in. 

  This is how remote communities in Afghanistan ended up with better 
broadband than remote communities in Canada. 

  But foreign investors aren't allowed to control infrastructure in 
Canada, and the Canadian industry is determined to keep it that way.=C2=A0

  The Government could do something about it, if they knew what they 
were doing. 

  But the Government doesn't know what it is doing.=C2=A0

  It cannot even get reliable legal counsel, because industry keeps all 
of the country's top telecom lawyers on retainer (--> conflict of 
interest for the lawyers). 

  The upshot is that our Government is incapable of addressing our 
growing rural/remote infrastructure deficit. 

  Even if they sincerely want to - which I doubt - they cannot respond 
to the need.=C2=A0

  If they ever deliver a credible digital strategy as promised, I 
already question their ability to implement it.=C2=A0

  For the foreseeable future, the only way smaller communities in 
Canada will get the broadband infrastructure they need is if they take 
the initiative and build it themselves.=C2=A0

   Like Eastern Ontario, Coquitlam, Olds, Stratford and other smaller 
communities have already done. 

  That said... 

  The Alberta SuperNet offers a sobering lesson in what can go wrong in 
a P3 when a government partner doesn't know what it is doing. 

  The best rural backbone infrastructure in the world is 
languishing,=C2=A0because there is no meaningful incentive for the 
principal private sector partner to leverage the network. 

  Government (foolishly) carried more than its fair share of risk, and 
the private partner has been collecting virtually all of the rewards. 

  These rewards have come at considerable financial expense to a second 
private partner, and at far greater expense in opportunities for rural 
Albertans.=C2=A0

  The fundamental problem was that Government didn't understand the 
risks, and the private partner did. 

  The Government didn't know what it was doing, and this is what we 
must come to terms with right across Canada. 

  Stop looking to senior government, because they aren't up to the challeng=
e. 

  We have to meet the challenge ourselves.=C2=A0

  JvL

  On 2013-02-10, at 12:10 PM, "Thompson, Darlene"  wrote:

       Hi all,

Its rather interesting. =C2=A0This week I am in a very remote community in 
Nunavut (Arctic Bay) enabling a project on E-Story Telling. =C2=A0Staying 
in the same hotel with me (actually the ONLY hotel in town) are two 
guys for the Department of National Defence. =C2=A0Both these guys had to 
do tours of duty in Afghanistan and they were saying that even in the 
most remote back-woods areas in that country, they had better internet 
speeds than we do in this community. =C2=A0AND THIS IS CANADA! =C2=A0When w=
ill 
our government see that there is just something wrong with this picture?

D

Darlene A. Thompson
CAP Administrator
N-CAP/Department of Education
P.O. Box 1000, Station 910
Iqaluit, NU =C2=A0X0A 0H0
Phone: =C2=A0(867) 975-5631
Fax: =C2=A0(867) 975-5610
dthompson@gov.nu.ca
________________________________________
From: advisors-admin@tc.ca [advisors-admin@tc.ca] on behalf of Marita 
Moll [mmoll@ca.inter.net]
Sent: Friday, February 08, 2013 7:47 PM
To: TC Advisors
Subject: [Advisors] Openparliament.ca

openparliament.ca

This is a truly amazing site -- easy and fully searchable access to 
debates in the HofC. =C2=A0Try searching for "community access program" and=

see all the times this was brought up during and after the decision to 
kill the program and by whom and what was said. =C2=A0It certainly didn't 
die without a fight. 

There has been no mention of CAP for some time. =C2=A0I'm wondering how we 
might use the information available here to bring it back to the table. 
=C2=A0Anybody got some stories to report about the impact of the loss of 
the program that could be fed to a friendly local MP?

Other ideas?

Marita

_______________________________________________
Advisors mailing list
Advisors@tc.ca
http://victoria.tc.ca/mailman/listinfo/advisors

Executive Director
Thickwood Hills Business & Learning Network
Tel: 306.549.4726
Fax: 888.259-5997

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<p>Hi </p>
<p>To add to Darlene's story.=C2=A0 I am currently in Costa Rica - a develo=
ping
country but you believe that anywhere in Costa Rica you can access WIFI and
watch all the TV you want including Netflix on your computer.=C2=A0 There i=
s some
irony in this as the Federal government has just contributed 50 million to =
build
new homes.=C2=A0 </p>
<p>As someone said "shut the door'</p>
<p>=C2=A0</p>
<p>Marie<br><br>On Sun, 10 Feb 2013 14:49:50 -0700, James Van Leeuwen
&lt;jvl@ventus.ca&gt; wrote:<br></p>
<blockquote style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: rgb(0,0,0) 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px;
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" dir=3D"ltr"
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eft:
5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px;">
<div id=3D"html-message"><meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/=
html;
charset=3DUTF-8"><meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html
charset=3Dus-ascii">
<div>They see the problem Darlene.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>They just can't do anything about it.=C2=A0</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>I confer regularly with an associate who has consulted to the Governm=
ent
on rural broadband infrastructure.=C2=A0<br><div><br>
</div>
<div>If there is no opportunity for the private sector to profit from publi=
c
investment in infrastructure, it doesn't get built.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Public-Private Partnership (P3) is the only game in town, but the busi=
ness
case for rural/remote infrastructure is too weak for the private sector to =
take
seriously.=C2=A0</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Unless they are at risk of a serious penalty for regulatory
non-compliance.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Government lacks not only sufficient money for needed infrastructure
investments, but expertise to properly structure and manage the
investments.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>This became strikingly clear during the last program for rural and nor=
thern
broadband funding, which my consulting associate got to watch up close.</di=
v>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Industry has <u>lots</u> of money they could use for building rural
infrastructure, but they want government to carry more than its fair share =
of
risk.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Government can't afford to carry more than its fair share of risk,=C2=
=A0so
nothing substantive happens.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>We are offered only band-aids and fig leaves, and told reassuringly th=
at
these will more than suffice to meet our needs...=C2=A0despite ample proof =
to the
contrary.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Lots of foreign investors would be willing to carry their fair share o=
f
risk, if they were allowed to control the infrastructure they were investin=
g
in.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>This is how remote communities in Afghanistan ended up with better
broadband than remote communities in Canada.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>But foreign investors aren't allowed to control infrastructure in Cana=
da,
and the Canadian industry is determined to keep it that way.=C2=A0</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The Government could do something about it, if they knew what they wer=
e
doing.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>But the Government doesn't know what it is doing.=C2=A0</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>It cannot even get reliable legal counsel, because industry keeps all =
of
the country's top telecom lawyers on retainer (--&gt; conflict of interest =
for
the lawyers).</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The upshot is that our Government is <u>incapable</u> of addressing ou=
r
growing rural/remote infrastructure deficit.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Even if they sincerely want to - which I doubt - they cannot respond t=
o the
need.=C2=A0</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>If they ever deliver a credible digital strategy as promised, I alread=
y
question their ability to implement it.=C2=A0</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>For the foreseeable future, the <b><i>only</i></b> way smaller communi=
ties
in Canada will get the broadband infrastructure they need is if they take t=
he
initiative and build it themselves.=C2=A0</div>
<div><br>
</div>
</div>
<div>Like Eastern Ontario, Coquitlam, Olds, Stratford and other smaller
communities have already done.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>That said...</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The Alberta SuperNet offers a sobering lesson in what can go wrong in =
a P3
when a government partner doesn't know what it is doing.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The best rural backbone infrastructure in the world is
languishing,=C2=A0because there is no meaningful incentive for the principa=
l private
sector partner to leverage the network.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Government (foolishly) carried more than its fair share of risk, and t=
he
private partner has been collecting virtually all of the rewards.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>These rewards have come at considerable financial expense to a second
private partner, and at far greater expense in opportunities for rural
Albertans.=C2=A0</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The fundamental problem was that Government didn't understand the risk=
s,
and the private partner did.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The Government didn't know what it was doing, and this is what we must=
 come
to terms with right across Canada.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Stop looking to senior government, because they aren't up to the
challenge.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>We have to meet the challenge ourselves.=C2=A0</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>JvL</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>
<div><br><div>
<div>On 2013-02-10, at 12:10 PM, "Thompson, Darlene" &lt;<a
href=3D"mailto:DThompson1@gov.nu.ca" target=3D"">DThompson1@gov.nu.ca</a>&g=
t;
wrote:</div>
<br class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type=3D"cite">Hi all,<b=
r><br>Its
rather interesting. =C2=A0This week I am in a very remote community in Nuna=
vut
(Arctic Bay) enabling a project on E-Story Telling. =C2=A0Staying in the sa=
me hotel
with me (actually the ONLY hotel in town) are two guys for the Department o=
f
National Defence. =C2=A0Both these guys had to do tours of duty in Afghanis=
tan and
they were saying that even in the most remote back-woods areas in that coun=
try,
they had better internet speeds than we do in this community. =C2=A0AND THI=
S IS
CANADA! =C2=A0When will our government see that there is just something wro=
ng with
this picture?<br><br>D<br><br>Darlene A. Thompson<br>CAP
Administrator<br>N-CAP/Department of Education<br>P.O. Box 1000, Station
910<br>Iqaluit, NU =C2=A0X0A 0H0<br>Phone: =C2=A0(867) 975-5631<br>Fax: =C2=
=A0(867)
975-5610<br><a href=3D"mailto:dthompson@gov.nu.ca"
target=3D"">dthompson@gov.nu.ca</a><br>____________________________________=
____<br>From:
advisors-admin@tc.ca [advisors-admin@tc.ca] on behalf of Marita Moll
[mmoll@ca.inter.net]<br>Sent: Friday, February 08, 2013 7:47 PM<br>To: TC
Advisors<br>Subject: [Advisors]
Openparliament.ca<br><br>openparliament.ca&lt;http://openparliament.ca&gt;<=
br><br>This
is a truly amazing site -- easy and fully searchable access to debates in t=
he
HofC. =C2=A0Try searching for "community access program" and see all the ti=
mes this
was brought up during and after the decision to kill the program and by who=
m and
what was said. =C2=A0It certainly didn't die without a fight.<br><br>There =
has been
no mention of CAP for some time. =C2=A0I'm wondering how we might use the
information available here to bring it back to the table. =C2=A0Anybody got=
 some
stories to report about the impact of the loss of the program that could be=
 fed
to a friendly local MP?<br><br>Other
ideas?<br><br>Marita<br><br><br>___________________________________________=
____<br>Advisors
mailing
list<br>Advisors@tc.ca<br>http://victoria.tc.ca/mailman/listinfo/advisors<b=
r>
</blockquote>
</div>
<br>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p><br><br></p>
<p><br>Executive Director<br>Thickwood Hills Business &amp; Learning
Network<br>Tel: 306.549.4726<br>Fax: 888.259-5997<br><br></p>
<p><br></p>
</body>
</html>

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