First Nations in Ontario Strategic Broadband Connectivity Business Case

Transcription

1 Sep 3 First Nations in Ontario Strategic Broadband Connectivity Business Case Prepared by The Chiefs of Ontario Contact M a t t h e w R e s m i n i H e a l t h T e c h n o l o g y P o l i c y A n a l y s t P h o n e : E - m a i l : m a t t h e c o o. o r g

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary...5 Chapter : The Benefits of Broadband Connectivity to First Nation Communities...8 Introduction Education Introduction First Nation Schools Connectivity to Schools Online Applications Benefits of Broadband Connectivity for Education Better Educational Outcomes for Students Teacher Recruitment and Retention Community Access First Nation Culture and Language Training Adult Learning Conclusion Healthcare Benefits of Broadband Connectivity Elements of E-Health E-Health Telehealth Electronic Health Record (EHR) Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Organizations Involved in Delivery of First Nations Health Services Keewaytinook Okimakanak Telemedicine (KOTM) Health Canada First Nations and Inuit Health Board (FNIHB) Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN)/ Ministry of Health and Long Term Care Delivery of Telemedicine Services in First Nation Communities Connectivity Community Teleheath Coordinators Interoperability Governance Community Readiness Benefits from e-health Services Benefits of the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Conclusion Economic Development Benefits of Broadband Connectivity Introduction The Microenterprise Experience Internet Tools Online Transactions Other Business Functions Access to Government Services April 203 2

3 4.5 First Nation ISPs Opportunities Off-Reserve The Broadband for Rural and Northern Development (BRAND) Experience Conclusion Governance and Administration Benefits of Broadband Connectivity Administrative Services Administrative Functions Community Operations Funding Programs Professional Development Natural Resource Management and Land Claims Conclusion Summary Chapter 2 Assessment of Existing Government Broadband Policies and Programs Introduction Capital Infrastructure Programs Federal Programs Provincial Programs Capital Funding Summary Ongoing Operational Programs Program Details Federal Programs Industry Canada Broadband Canada- Connecting Rural Canadians Industry Canada - FedNor INAC First Nations Infrastructure Fund (FNIF) Health Canada Health Canada First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) INAC New Paths for Education Industry Canada Community Access Program Infrastructure Canada - Building Canada Fund Industry Canada Canadian Strategic Infrastructure Fund Industry Canada - Broadband for Rural and Northern Development (BRAND) Ontario Provincial Programs Building Broadband in Rural and Northern Ontario (BBRNO) Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Rural Connections Broadband Program Recent Major Broadband Initiatives in Ontario The North Western Ontario Broadband Expansion Initiative (NWOBEI) Western James Bay Telecom Network Chippewas of Saugeen Fiber to the Home Network Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) Funding Models Publicly/Privately Funded, non-first Nation owned April 203 3

4 2.. North Western Ontario Broadband Expansion Initiative (NWOBEI) Publicly/Private/Community Funded, First Nations Owned Western James Bay Telecom Network Saugeen First Nations Network Fort Severn First Nation Funded, Owned and Operated Networks Mohawks Bay of Quinte Walpole Island Pay for Service on Third Party Network Northern Ontario Service Providers The Kuhkenah Network (K-Net) Blue Sky Region Community Network (BSRCN) Preparation for New Funding Challenges to implementation of Broadband Infrastructure: Observations and Conclusions Chapter 3: Broadband Connectivity in First Nation communities Introduction Data Networks in First Nation Communities in Ontario Overview Backhaul Connectivity Community Access Connectivity Canadian Goal Canadian Connectivity Connectivity to Ontario First Nation Communities Backhaul Connectivity to Ontario First Nation Communities Current State of Backhaul Connectivity Backhaul Connectivity by Geographic Region Community Access Connectivity within Ontario First Nation Communities Service Provider Model Access Network Technology and Capacity Conclusion Appendix - Backhaul Connectivity to Ontario First Nation Communities April 203 4

5 Executive Summary This document is the culminating piece in the First Nations in Ontario Broadband Connectivity Needs Assessment which was comprised of three main objectives: Facilitating the completion of an online broadband connectivity needs assessment survey by each First Nation community in Ontario to determine community needs and goals regarding broadband connectivity infrastructure and information and community technology (ICT). Creating a strategic business case to outline the benefits and costs of broadband connectivity infrastructure and advocate for the allocation of resources towards community-based, sustainable broadband connectivity infrastructure for all First Nations in Ontario. Working with government technicians to define roles and responsibilities, and work towards strategic, collaborative approaches to meeting First Nations broadband connectivity requirements. A clear mandate to address the issue of sustainable broadband connectivity for First Nations in Ontario was given to the Chiefs of Ontario (COO) in the form of resolution 09/4 which states: The Chiefs in Assembly support the allocation of resources to implement and sustain broadband connectivity for all First Nations as a foundational requirement for many ehealth applications as well as for general community economic and social development. Simply put, broadband connectivity is essential for enhancing economic and social development, for modernizing and streamlining the delivery of health and social services, and for increasing the capacity for First Nations to administer programs and govern their own institutions. The First Nations in Ontario Broadband Connectivity Needs Assessment was developed under the direction of resolution 09/4 in an effort to ensure that all First Nations in Ontario have reliable, sustainable, community governed broadband connectivity capacity in order to enhance community development and well-being. It is essential that greater investments be made in community infrastructure and also that such networks be owned and operated by First Nations in order that they may pursue greater economic and social progress as well as advance selfgovernance. This paper is divided into four sections: Chapter : Chapter 2: Chapter 3: Chapter 4: The Benefits of Connectivity to First Nation Communities in Ontario An Overview of First Nation Broadband Connectivity Programs and Projects An Analysis of First Nations Access to Broadband Connectivity A Broadband Connectivity Toolkit for Community Planners February 203 5

6 This paper begins by reviewing some of the benefits of broadband to First Nations, in terms of health care, education, economic development and administrative management. Next, funding programs and projects are reviewed as they provide insight into options for proceeding with funding future broadband projects. The third section, an analysis of First Nations access to broadband connectivity, provides insight into what is already in place and areas that should be further explored or addressed. Finally, the Toolkit is a step-by-step guide for First Nation leaders and IT experts for use in evaluating and planning for expanded connectivity in their communities. Technically speaking, broadband connectivity is defined as an Internet connection, with download speed of at least.5 Mbps. The term broadband has evolved from a connection with a data speed of 256 Kbps, to.5 Mbps as the requirements of data users have increased. It is expected that the definition of broadband will increase to a burstable 5Mbps downstream capability before long. It is recognized in this document that many of the applications referred to require data speeds of much greater than 5 Mbps. More than a simple measure of data transfer rates, broadband connectivity is an essential piece of community infrastructure necessary to enhance economic and social development, modernize and streamline the delivery of health and social services, and to increase the capacity for First Nations to administer programs and govern their own institutions. The most compelling benefits of broadband connectivity are addressed in this report and include: Health Care Broadband connectivity can support better access to health care and better health outcomes for people in remote or isolated communities, better management of patients with chronic conditions and reduced health related travel expenses. Education - Access to online learning tools and programs increases learning opportunities and improves outcomes for students and adult learners. It also supports teacher retention and training through access to professional development and networking for teachers from within their communities. Economic Development Connectivity enables access to Internet based business tools, which is essential for business retention and development. It also provides access to global markets. Administrative Management Broadband connectivity enables access to modern business tools, to web based government information and processes necessary for access to funding, for community operations, for natural resource management and land claims. There has recently been strong commitment to funding connectivity to First Nation communities. Over $95M has been committed or spent by Federal, Provincial and private partners to support Ontario First Nation Broadband projects since All projects have included funding from provincial, federal and private sources. First Nations Broadband initiatives have been funded through many different government programs. Though broadband connectivity is not considered a right in Canada, it enables improved access to health care and education, which are important rights. Funding has been very available for broadband infrastructure and less so for operations. The Broadband Toolkit has indicated that with sufficient service demand, it is possible for communities who operate their own networks to sustain operations through network revenues. Community CRTC, Broadband Report, November, 20 February 203 6

7 readiness should be developed before undertaking broadband expansion, as it is an indicator of service demand and ability to manage a network in a sustainable way on an ongoing basis. This research addresses the level of connectivity to communities (backhaul) and connectivity within communities (community access). Both are necessary. With the expected completion of the North Western Ontario Broadband Expansion Initiative Phase to Phase 4, 52% of First Nation Communities in Ontario will have fibre backhaul connectivity to their communities. An additional 7% of communities have point-to-point radio backhaul infrastructure connecting their communities to the Internet. This infrastructure is capable of meeting the backhaul connectivity requirements of most rural communities. A further 23% of communities have T copper or satellite backhaul systems. Depending on the size and needs of the communities served, it is expected that this infrastructure is not meeting community needs. Within communities, the first priority is to connect public buildings. Though schools, health centres and administrative offices are all connected, the capacity to these buildings varies. In some cases, 0 Mbps or less is shared between the administrative office and the health centre. This speed is often inadequate. Of Ontario s 33 First Nation communities, 04 have XDSL, fixed wireless, cable modem or fibre to the home service, but the level of community coverage and capacity of these networks is, in many cases, unknown. If necessary, this type of infrastructure can be upgraded or new infrastructure can be installed to improve connectivity. If new infrastructure is to be purchased, fixed wireless or fibre community access systems are generally recommended. The Chiefs of Ontario, through their Broadband Survey, will be collecting First Nations connectivity data on an ongoing basis and will fill in some of the gaps in connectivity information. The Broadband Connectivity Toolkit will serve three major functions: Supporting First Nation communities in assessing their individual connectivity needs and developing plans to expand connectivity to meet those needs. Supporting planners in evaluating and developing community readiness to embark on a broadband expansion project. Assisting planners with the detailed process of scoping the project and making decisions on how to proceed. Readiness of the community can have a large impact on project success. Technology options are presented along with guidelines for evaluating them based on their suitability to the situation of a particular community. Templates are provided for developing a business case. Governance models and potential sources of funding are also discussed. February 203 7

8 Chapter : The Benefits of Broadband Connectivity to First Nation Communities Introduction Broadband connectivity is a key facet of life in the 2 st century. In First Nation communities, broadband connectivity supports First Nations people as it enables access to e-services in key areas including education, health care, business development and band governance and administration. Education opens doors for people, intellectually, socially and in economic terms. Broadband connectivity brings learning opportunities that might not otherwise be available to people in isolated, remote or rural communities. Further, it can enhance educational experiences in all communities by enabling bandwidth intensive education tools. Through e-health and telehealth, connectivity makes health care much more accessible. It reduces the requirement for travel and improves health outcomes. In terms of economic development, broadband connectivity enables access to world markets and global resources. Broadband connectivity also provides opportunities to support community leaders in administrative and governance functions through better access to information, improved communications and efficient access to programs and services. It also enables them to run organizations using 2 st century business practices, which rely on electronic communications. Connectivity also enables them to easily interact with other First Nations, governments and other organizations. The following section presents a qualitative assessment of benefits to be expected in each of these areas. 2 Education 2. Introduction Broadband connectivity to all First Nations schools is a strong enabler for better educational outcomes for students and other community members. Broadband connectivity is a teaching tool, a research tool and administrative tool and is used by teachers to improve their own education, skills and professional and personal networks. Broadband connectivity enables access to online learning in First Nation schools and supports students who choose to leave their communities to study in larger centres, to stay in close contact with their families. Connectivity to schools is a resource that can be shared by all community members through programs offered outside school hours, using the school s computers and connectivity. Broadband Internet access supports First Nation students in achieving their educational goals. There is a wealth of data demonstrating the value of education, in terms of higher potential income, more career options and the sense of accomplishment it brings. Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2006 demonstrates this connection for the Ontario First Nation population. 2.2 First Nation Schools There are approximately 83 First Nation Schools, including both elementary and secondary schools, in Ontario First Nation Communities. There is also the Internet High School, which February 203 8

9 consists of bricks and mortar schools, where students work with a teacher, who is a specialist in one subject, and access most of their content remotely, over the Internet. The specialist teachers support all Internet High School students in their subject of specialization. In some communities, there is a high school office for the support of students who study outside the community, but no high school. An estimated 80% of students in remote communities leave their community to attend high school. Internet connectivity helps these students maintain contact and support with their families through popular social media and Internet-based communication tools. 2.3 Connectivity to Schools Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) New Paths for Education Program funds and supports Internet connectivity, tools and training for First Nation schools. This program supersedes the Industry Canada First Nations SchoolNet (FNS) Program, which was funded from 996 to 20. FNS included funding for high-speed networks and services, such as equipment and software applications, helpdesk support, building capacity in the schools, as well as creating information and communications technology content and applications. 2 In Ontario, K-Net is the Regional Management Organization responsible for management of the New Paths Program. K-Net provides help desk technical services for local area network and connectivity. An evaluation of the FNS program was conducted between November 2008 and February Conclusions of the program evaluation were:. FNS is an integral part of First Nations education on reserve. 2. The program enhanced the educational experience of First Nations students, provided them with valuable skills and capabilities, which have increased their competencies, improved their outlook on learning as well as their own confidence in their futures. 3. The program provided students with the option of staying in their communities with their families as they complete their education through distance learning. This has increased both retention and graduation rates. 4. The use of a decentralized Regional Management Organization (RMO) delivery model is seen as both effective and efficient. RMOs have developed partnerships with both the public and private sector to reduce costs, maximize opportunities and provide economies of scale. This has largely supported the success of the program in positively contributing to educational outcomes, cultural education, cultural and linguistic preservation, mitigating isolation and allowing access to other essential services in the schools and the communities. FNS has provided the backbone that is being utilized by other partners, enabling the leveraging of resources. 5. Lack of performance measurement data make it difficult for evaluation of achievement of expected results. 2 Evaluation of First Nations SchoolNet Program, INAC, ram,_inac,_2009.pdf p i February 203 9

10 6. FNS produced community impacts, resulting from the use of connectivity and in some cases hardware and software provided through the program, being used by other groups including adult learners, parents, Elders, youth and women s groups. 7. Communities continue to struggle with the effects of geography, distance and related accessibility issues. The inability to reach connectivity objectives and provincial comparability is significant. Investment in equipment in schools is not keeping pace with the constantly evolving technology, hindering access to distance learning, videoconferencing and other connections. Funding levels to FNS have not allowed this program to keep abreast of technological advances nor attain its original objectives. All First Nation schools have connectivity to the Internet, but in many cases, there is inadequate bandwidth or capacity for the number of users, which translates to reduced speed, and lower reliability for users. As reported in February 2009, 44.3% of Ontario First Nation Schools had access to a high speed Internet connections of between.5 and 0Mbps, 3.8% had access to >0 Mbps and 5.9% of communities had access to <.5 Mbps. 3 In cases where connectivity is through satellite service, latency can create additional service issues. Increased access to broadband connectivity and network speed in First Nation communities will support better education and more educational options for First Nation students. This is particularly true in small remote or isolated communities with limited access to museums, galleries, theatres, universities and other educational resources. The requirements of software applications are constantly increasing making the amount of connectivity necessary to serve a school a constantly moving target. To support simultaneous activities by students and staff, most schools will require a minimum of 0 Mbps. Connectivity to the schools is dependant on connectivity to the community. Communities located near major centres typically have access to good connectivity at reasonable rates. Communities in more remote areas that are difficult and expensive to connect typically have less access to good connectivity. In many First Nation communities, bandwidth is shared across community institutions. Schools receive high priority for bandwidth, and can often reserve bandwidth as needed. For example, in a community of 00 residents, if the community has access to 0Mbps, shared among the health centre, band office and school, the normal bandwidth to the entire school, during the school day, might be 5Mbps. The school might reserve 7Mbps for an hour for a video call between the school and the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto. The school s computers and connectivity might also be used for an after school program for students and in a community centre format in the evening. If the band office and health centre are closed in the evening, the full 0Mbps might be accessible from the school computers for community activities. However, having higher bandwidth to the community (50 to 00 Mbps) would offer more opportunities and fewer constraints in sharing. 3 Evaluation of the First Nation SchoolNet Program, Final Report, Feb 6, February 203 0

11 2.4 Online Applications First Nation schools use various interactive learning tools and strategies. Moodle, a Learning Management System, is used for the administration, documentation tacking and reporting of learning programs, classrooms and online events. The system is also used for content delivery and training. The quality of connectivity affects the performance and usability of this system. Excellent programs including Online Science Fair, The Online Web Construction Workshops and E- Careers, are available to Fist Nation students. These opportunities require broadband. Lower bandwidths (5 or 0 Mbps) shared amongst 50+ students and teachers can hinder user experience or the ability to complete certain tasks under constrained timelines. If 50 users are sharing 5 Mbps this represents 00 kbps per user. While this can be reasonable in large aggregated networks on a backhaul link, that capacity in an access network shared mode creates congestion. More and better connectivity to schools would enable more students to browse the web at one time, would enable streaming video and would enable video conferencing. Administrative functions are also affected by connectivity. Downloading software or software upgrades is quicker and can be done more regularly if wait times are small. Teachers can search for appropriate tools and learning materials and can do online professional development if they have adequate bandwidth. The Keewaytinook Internet High School (KIHS) enables students in participating communities to remain at home while they take courses required for a high school diploma. In this model, participating communities each have a classroom and a teacher and are connected together and with the rest of the world, via the Internet. Each teacher has a subject area of expertise and shares this expertise with all students in the system, taking that subject or course. Outside resources, such as Elders, scientists or artists can be connected to the school via the Internet. As all courses are delivered online, students develop strong ICT skills. The Internet High School has been operating since 200. There are 3 participating communities. It is a successful model. Better connectivity would enable better ongoing communication between teachers, students, outside resources and parents and enhance the experience of those involved in this program. Student interest, community support and broadband connectivity determine which communities participate in the Internet High School. For some communities, improved connectivity would allow them to participate in this program. Internet connectivity provided to First Nation schools through New Paths to Education brings additional benefits to the communities. Community groups also use the Internet connections and computer equipment. Adults use the computers to take on-line courses, including high school, college and university courses and community members can access e-government services. Often, groups outside the school, such as the administration, health services, public security and justice and local entrepreneurs are able to gain access to the school s Internet connection. 4 Some students choose to leave their communities to attend school in larger communities. Broadband connectivity in their home communities enables them to remain in closer contact with their families while they are away. The option of videoconferencing via Skype or other applications makes separation more amenable for both student and family. 4 Evaluation of the First Nation SchoolNet Program, Final Report, Feb 6, February 203

12 2.5 Benefits of Broadband Connectivity for Education Access to connectivity in First Nation communities for education brings multiple benefits to the community. Many of these benefits are delivered directly through the school system; others come from use of the school connectivity infrastructure by community groups Better Educational Outcomes for Students An evaluation of the First Nation Schoolnet (FNS) program revealed that access to connectivity tools and training provided through FNS had a positive impact on student retention rates and graduation rates in First Nation Schools. The program has also contributed to student competencies, improved their outlook on learning and their confidence in their futures. 5 These benefits to education enabled by online learning, provide justification for greater investment in connectivity to First Nation schools, to support greater access to online learning tools and opportunities. On a more global scale, it is recognized that the value of online learning, sometimes referred to as Education 2.0, is bringing access to rich educational opportunities to all students. Bill Gates, in the Gates Notes, writes that there are four key trends in online learning. The first (benefit to online learning) is creating more engaging and interactive ways of learning than the traditional textbook. Another is using the Internet to post and find great teacher lectures and effective course materials. The use of social networks is also a growing influence, with the potential to increase collaboration among and between teachers and students and extend class discussions beyond the classroom. We re also seeing new kinds of personalizing learning using gameplay and other tools that give students and teachers important real-time feedback. 6 Don Tapscott reiterates this concept. The new generation of education is based on interactive process that is heavily web-based and customized to the learners. It frees up teachers to customize collaborative learning experiences. It isn t about the technology, but about teaching students to solve problems. 7 These new educational strategies are all within the reach of remote First Nation communities, if they have adequate broadband connectivity to support them. These strategies are already proving to be successful in meeting the needs of First Nation students, who are sometimes in small communities with small schools, where students work at various levels within a single classroom. The other key determinant of the success of online education is innovative teachers who are capable of using these new techniques and tools to customize learning for every student. Without teachers who know how to use the Internet to open up the world to their students, the value of connectivity is small. A program in Peru, where 850,000 laptops were distributed to school children, yielded no significant change in test scores. A program evaluation recommended 5 Evaluation of the First Nation SchoolNet Program, Final Report, Feb 6, The Gates Notes, Bill Gate, Education 2.0, March Don Tapscott, Education 2.0, The Agenda with Steve Paikin, July 6, 20 February 203 2

13 improvements in teacher training, curriculum and the classroom environment to take advantage of the new equipment Teacher Recruitment and Retention Broadband connectivity can be instrumental in attracting progressive teachers to rural and remote communities and retaining them. Teachers need to be able to stay connected with their contacts outside their teaching communities, they need to be connected to access resources for their work and they need to be able to access professional development programs from within their communities. It is expensive for teachers in remote and rural communities to travel to access professional development programs. Though face-to-face training is often necessary, online access to training and workshops can also contribute to a teacher s competence and job satisfaction Community Access Connectivity to First Nation schools can be used outside of school hours for community purposes. By enabling access to school computing equipment and connectivity, many communities are capitalizing on this asset to provide Internet access to all members of the community. The employment of a support person to help users develop their Internet and skills can promote digital literacy. If parents have familiarity with web tools and digital media, they are in a better position to provide guidance to their children and ensure that they are using the web productively more of the time. Though the children may be more proficient at using particular applications, particularly games, and social media, parents who understand what their children are doing online are much more able to provide guidance in terms of appropriate activity and good time management. Community access to school Internet facilities can be used to support adult education and special interest programs First Nation Culture and Language Training Through community access to school connectivity and computers, other community members such as Elders groups, women s groups or cultural groups can access or develop web based cultural information and material on First Nations Languages. Broadband connectivity enables community members to develop web sites where this information is posted and allows others to access the information. Even if web sites are hosted outside the community, adequate connectivity is required to access the sites for maintenance and updating content Adult Learning Through after hours access to school connectivity and computers, adults can pursue online courses at high school, college or university level. Online interest courses are also accessible. 8 The Economist, Error Message, April 7, First Nations Schools Association, Annual Report 2008/ February 203 3

14 Adult learning is valuable in improving the skill level and employability of community members and serves as a lifestyle example for younger community members. 2.6 Conclusion Access to broadband connectivity is contributing to positive learning outcomes. This has been documented specifically for First Nation Students as described in the Evaluation of the First Nation SchoolNet Program and in anecdotal responses to the Keewaytinook Online High School. In general terms the value of Internet learning has been promoted by Bill Gates and Don Tapscott, respected thought leaders on the economic and social impact of technology on society. Improvements to Internet access in First Nation Schools would be expected to contribute to further positive educational outcomes. Online education can begin to bridge the educational divide between individuals living in remote communities and those in more urban centres who may be surrounded by greater educational opportunities. Community access programs with training support, cultural programs and adult learning opportunities will also be valuable. Broadband connectivity brings more options for education to Fist Nation Communities. 3 Healthcare Benefits of Broadband Connectivity Broadband connectivity to First Nation communities enables the adoption of e-health services, thereby bringing significant benefit in terms of improved access to health care and better health for community members. E-Health systems contribute to better health of First Nations by using Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to improve access to and timeliness of health services and information. E-Health systems support access to resources and expertise, which can enhance the capacity to deliver health care services and health promotion in remote and isolated First Nation communities. Traditional knowledge and culture are integrated in to telemedicine service delivery. 3. Elements of E-Health 3.. E-Health For the purposes of this document, e-health is a global term describing use of electronic communication and information technology in the health sector. This could be for clinical, community care research, public education and other applications Telehealth Telehealth is the use of information and communications technologies to deliver health services and transmit health information over both long and short distances. It can also be used to provide patients and their families with opportunities for virtual visits with a health service provider. Telehealth is medicine at a distance. This technology can ease the trauma for patients who must receive care in a distant setting, away from family and other loved ones. Telehealth helps eliminate distance barriers and improves access to services that would otherwise not be available in remote and rural communities. It is about transmitting voice, data, images and information, rather than moving patients, medical practitioners, or educators. In the context of this paper, we will refer to Telehealth as a subset of e-health. February 203 4

15 3..3 Electronic Health Record (EHR) The Electronic Health Record, or EHR, is an electronic file folder containing all aspects of a patient s health care history and health status. It can include basic identifying data, test results, physician comments and a complete listing of health care providers who have cared for this individual. It is a sharable record between multiple health care providers according to defined rules and privacy protections. Any part, or multiple parts, of the electronic record can be shielded automatically from view so that specific users or contributors are only able to see what they need to know to provide care. The development, implementation, sharing and communication of a fully operational EHR is a goal of provinces and territories across Canada and indeed in many other countries. 0 Canada Health Infoway is the non-profit corporation targeting an electronic health record (EHR) for all Canadians by 205. Connectivity must be in place to enable use of this national EHR system in First Nation communities Electronic Medical Record (EMR) An Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is a medically focused electronic health record that provides health care providers with data targeted to local clinician encounters with patients. It is usually the record used by a specific physician for a specific patient. The electronic medical record replaces the paper version of the medical chart. The EMR includes data such as visit history, physician notes, diagnostic test results, prescription records, diagnosis, related conditions and electronic images such as MRI scans or X-rays that can be communicated instantly to health care providers working in other geographic areas, for discussion and diagnostic purposes. This enables physicians and other health care providers for individuals in small or rural communities to consult by teleconference with physicians and specialists in major centres. 2 There are many commercial EMR systems available, Nightingale and QHRT (Clinicare) for example. To date, two First Nation communities have developed their own EMR systems. The KOTM clinics use a provincial EMR, which is accessible by provincially employed physicians, but not by federally employed nurses. Many of the advantages of e-health come from the sharing of information and services and having common structures across communities make this sharing more feasible. Although each community may want to have some unique features to their system and EMR and ensure that their system is culturally acceptable to their people, the commonalities bring great value. 3.2 Organizations Involved in Delivery of First Nations Health Services The large number of organizations involved in the delivery of e-health in First Nation communities adds to the complexity of the system. Health Canada, through the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB), funds health care for First Nation people. In Ontario, e-health services are delivered to First Nations through a partnership among First Nations, Keewaytinook Okimakanak 0 Health Canada FNIHB Health Infostructure Strategic Action Plan, March 202 Health Canada FNIHB Health Infostructure Strategic Action Plan, March Health Canada FNIHB Health Infostructure Strategic Action Plan, March 202 February 203 5

16 Telemedicine (KOTM), Health Canada-First Nations and Inuit Health (FNIHB), the Ontario Telemedicine Network and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC) Keewaytinook Okimakanak Telemedicine (KOTM) KO Telemedicine provides clinical, educational and administrative services via videoconferencing and advanced information communication technologies to 26 northern Ontario First Nation communities. KOTM is funded by the FNIHB. 3 KOTM has been successfully delivering telemedicine services since 2002 when it launched service to five communities. In 2003, expansion to the project was initiated resulting in an additional 2 KOTM communities by Though telemedicine services are available in a small minority of the 33 First Nation communities in Ontario, services are available in the more northern, remote communities where the need is greatest The area served by KOTM is mostly made up of communities of 300 to 900 people. For many of these communities the only year-round access is by air, though most have road access for part of the winter. In some communities a single emergency trip to a health centre in Sioux Lookout or Winnipeg can cost between $8,000 and $2,000. Telehealth service enables treatment of certain ailments and ongoing treatment of already diagnosed conditions without the need for travel. The option of in-community treatment can be an important improvement in health care quality, especially for elders. Telehealth can reduce emergency flights by up to 20% in the KOTM communities. Between 200 and 2007, a $5M investment in telemedicine saved about $20m in health care costs according to George Ferreira, doctoral student, University of Guelph, The KOTM health centres all have e-health facilities, which are used to various extents. Typically an e-health facility would have an Interactive Doctor on Call (idoc) Workstation and videoconference equipment. Many communities use electronic medical records, and digital imaging. The idoc Workstation features remote diagnostic tools including a digital stethoscope, an otoscope for the examination of ears, eyes and throats, a blood pressure cuff and perhaps other instruments. 5 The videoconference equipment is either Polycom or newer, more portable and flexible systems. In 2006, KOTM received two awards from the Canadian Society of Telehealth, an Award of Excellence and an award for Best Practices Health Canada First Nations and Inuit Health Board (FNIHB) The First Nations and Inuit Health Branch supports the delivery of public health and health promotion services on-reserves. It also provides drug, dental and ancillary health services to First Nations people regardless of residence. The Branch provides primary care services on reserve in 3 KOTM website 4 Andrew Vowles, Hooking Up for Better Health, University of Guelph, Telus Success Stories qcsmbhuronperthhealth.html February 203 6

17 remote and isolated areas, where there are no provincial services readily available. The FNIHB is working to develop a plan for implementation of e-health services in First Nation communities through the e-health Infostructure Program Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN)/ Ministry of Health and Long Term Care The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term care operates and funds a community care program through OTN sites in northern communities. This program enables home care, aging at home, palliative care, mental health care, including tele-psychiatry and management of addiction and chronic disease. This service is very valuable to First Nation communities as it enables very ill patients and their families to remain in their homes near their support networks. It enables them to avoid a trip to a larger centre that would involve the expense of travel, an over night stay, meals and parking. It also enables ongoing contact between patients with chronic illnesses and their health care providers. This can ensure better management of diseases such as diabetes, mental illness, and obesity. Follow-up on in-hospital treatment can often take place in the community, avoiding repeated travel. Another advantage of this system is that it allows local practitioners to get more regular advice from the specialist, thus building their own expertise. 7 There is also coordination of patient care between the local practitioner and the larger health care facility. Some Ontario Addiction Treatment Centres in First Nation communities have an OTN membership and use e-health facilities. This supports addiction treatment including counselling within the patient s community. 3.3 Delivery of Telemedicine Services in First Nation Communities 3.3. Connectivity K-Net manages connectivity to the KOTM communities. They allocate bandwidth as required by the Health Centre, within the connectivity limits of the community and capacity available in the network. For example, for IDoc sessions, a dedicated 52Kbps is typically allocated; for videoconference sessions, a dedicated 384 Kbps is allocated. Some e-health facilities have digital radiology systems. Transmitting a radiograph is equivalent to transmitting a high-resolution photograph. It does not need to be sent in real-time, but requires sufficient bandwidth not to be interrupted during transmission. If total connectivity to a community is small, using the IDoc and videoconference system will impact other connectivity users. For example, in one community with total connectivity of 0 Mbps shared among the health centre, school and band office, 384Kbps is reserved for an IDoc session and 52Kbps for a videoconference. This means that the other facilities will have only 9.04 Mbps available to them during the time that these sessions run. Higher bandwidth would result in better performance Community Teleheath Coordinators KOTM uses trained Community Telehealth Coordinators in every First Nation Telemedicine centre. The coordinators provide interpretation and facilitation for telehealth services. Many participants 6 FNIHB Website) 7 Dr. Rajiv Bhatla, Chief Psyatrist, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Remote Patients Can Now Get Help, Ottawa Citizen, January 30, 203 February 203 7

18 feel that Community Telehealth Coordinators are very important to the success of telehealth services. They play a role in ensuring access, acceptability and integration of the service. 8 As they are community members, they play a significant role in enhancing the cultural acceptance of e-health services. This position provides opportunity to develop skilled employment opportunities within the community served Interoperability The value of e-health, including the EMR, is realized through interoperability of the system. Data must be shared and accessible among appropriate health care providers. Problems arise when records are accessible only by federal or provincial employees, or are limited to a subset of health care workers involved in providing service. Currently KOTM medical records used in the KOTM centres are available to doctors, who are provincial employees. Nurses (federal employees) do not have official access to those medical records in their electronic form. They must be printed or faxed for nurses use. The Canadian Infoway EHR will enable interoperability across all facilities in the country. Although this will not be available until at least 205, interoperability is coming Governance The planning and implementation of e-health services requires collaboration among stakeholders with differing priorities and agendas. Establishing a sound governance model will help facilitate effective and transparent collaboration, necessary to successfully implement telemedicine services. Governing bodies have significant input into establishing telemedicine policy, and developing the required legal frameworks to deal with issues such as confidentiality and liability. Once telemedicine services are implemented, regulatory bodies are required to monitor and accredit practitioners. In many instances, however, need dictates that ehealth and telemedicine initiatives are initiated prior to governance mechanism Community Readiness Though the necessary infrastructure for e-health is available in 29 Ontario First Nation communities, not all of these communities are using the system. This highlights the issue of a community s readiness to adopt new processes. Before deploying new systems, it is preferable to ensure that there is leadership committed to the new program and plans are in place to use and support it on an ongoing basis. Individuals make the decision, for each health care event, as to whether they will use the e-health system or travel to an appointment. Nonetheless, the community as a whole must decide that they adopt e-health as part of their health care system. A significant communication and education effort is required to support the use of e-health services. Clients must be confident that the service they receive through the e-health system will meet their needs and be committed to embracing the system within their community. 8 KO Telehealth/North Network Expansion Project Final Evaluation, _Evalaution_Final_Report_3-March-2006.pdf 9 Telemedicine Opportunities and developments in member states, World Health Organization, 200, February 203 8

19 3.4 Benefits from e-health Services The benefits of e-health services have been documented through the ongoing evaluation of the KOTM program. These benefits can be realized in any community where e-health is practiced. It is expected that the benefits of e-health will be more fully realized when local community coordinators are employed as they have been in the KOTM model. E-Health services in Ontario, enabled by KOTM have made health care more accessible to the 26 northern First Nation communities served. It has been demonstrated that First Nation people can deliver culturally acceptable, high quality health services across large geographic and culturally diverse territories. Telehealth technology and broadband connectivity provide health care workers with resources they need to do their jobs effectively. The following benefits result from e-health services. Better access to healthcare services for First Nation people resulting in better health outcomes. 20 Patients are more likely to visit a health care professional before their condition becomes critical. This reduces the number of emergency medical incidents. 2 Better diagnosis and triage: In many cases, diagnosis of problems can be done through telehealth systems. This can result in better, faster access to treatment and more informed decisions on whether to travel for further treatment or care. Reduced travel for health care reasons resulting in time savings for patients and patient escorts and in reduction in medical transport expense: If significant travel is required to get from a remote community to a medical centre, a 0 minute appointment can require 3 or 4 days travel. By using telehealth, the travel time can be eliminated. When physicians travel to remote communities, significant travel time is involved. By using telemedicine, the physician can practice medicine every day, making him or her much more available for consultation. Cost savings: A reduction in emergency flights by 20%. A $5M investment in telehealth technology resulting in a $20M in health care savings over 6 years. 22 Better support for people with chronic conditions: Monitoring and reporting day-to-day risk factors for people in remote communities are enabled by e-community care services. Coordination of patient care between the local practitioner and the larger health care facility. 20 KOTH North Expansion Project Evaluation, 2006 E-health services enable the availability of the right care at the right time without undue burden. ( _Evalaution_Final_Report_3-March-2006.pdf 2 North Western University, A Business Case for Telemedicine to Rural Communities, se_for_telemedicine_in_rural_communities.pdf 22 George Ferreira, U. Guelph, 2007) 04/featureshealth.shtml February 203 9

20 Better health surveillance: The ability to collect health data in the Pan-Canadian public health surveillance system, Panorama, is facilitated and accelerated with e-health capability. Health surveillance at more granular levels is also enabled. Information derived through population health surveillance can support better health for the population. Reduced wait times: A telehealth patient in a remote community can take advantage of cancelled appointments with little lead-time. This would not be possible if extensive travel were required. Faster access to lab results. Health Education: e-health plays a role in health education, disease prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and follow-up with diseases such as diabetes. Health promotion and enhancement events can be offered via telehealth services, often using video conferencing facilities. Support for patients with mental health care needs: E-counselling makes access to mental health professionals possible from remote and isolated locations. Where patients might not have travelled to get support, they can now have access from within their communities. Better access to addiction treatment and counseling: Counseling can be done remotely in Ontario Addiction Treatment Centres or Community Clinics. E-Training for staff and community education can also be provided using video conferencing facilities. Opportunity for local practitioners to get more regular advice from the specialist, thus building their own expertise. Increased access to educational opportunities and skills development for health care providers: Telehealth equipment and technology supports opportunities for distance learning and training, building and strengthening community capacity for health services. Telehealth infrastructure and broadband connectivity enable increased opportunities for local health care practitioners to engage in professional development. 23 Increased retention of health care professionals in First Nation communities. 3.5 Benefits of the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) The EMR is an integral component of e-health services. In order to conduct any type of e-health care, the EMR is required at both ends of the consultation. The more standard and integrated the EMR, the more easily it can be incorporated in an EHR when the time comes and the more benefit it provides. The benefits of the EMR are: Increased access to integrated patient information on a timely basis Better patient care due to access to more complete patient history Faster access to diagnostic results Fewer duplicated tests, as access to previous test results can reduce unnecessary testing Decreased adverse events through accurate, timely information sharing 23 Bell, M., Rossiter, J., Axtell, T. (2009) Skills Online: Public Health Professional Development for the North. Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Presentation at the National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO) National Conference, Ottawa February

21 Increased empowerment, patient involvement, participation in care, positive perception and satisfaction Improved efficiency and accuracy in the health care system due to reduced requirement for data entry Better coordination of care enabled through better communication among health service providers Better emergency room outcomes - instant access to a patient s health information will reduce the chance of misdiagnosis and possible unforeseen complications in the ER 3.6 Conclusion Broadband connectivity to First Nation communities enables e-health for community members, leading to improved health outcomes for the community. First Nations are already innovating in this area. KOTM has advanced telemedicine facilities and some communities have developed their own Electronic Medical Records. Other communities are providing community care services. The FNIHB is working to enable and fund e-health services to First Nation communities. The benefits of e-health have been identified and are generally agreed upon. Broadband connectivity is essential for the effective implementation of all e-health services. 4 Economic Development Benefits of Broadband Connectivity 4. Introduction Broadband connectivity plays an important role in the Economic Development of First Nation communities. It supports business activity that improves community sustainability through access to external markets and provides potential for income diversity to residents. It helps to attract and retain innovative businesses, allowing the local economy to become more diverse and resistant to economic shocks, as well as provide well-paying, high-quality jobs. 24 It enables residents to pursue business opportunities, and supports them in developing skills, experience, contacts and success. The impact of broadband connectivity will typically be felt through growth in economic activity and in retention of business on reserve. Through broadband, new business practices and models, which increase revenues, reduce costs and improve customer service, can be adopted. Being online allows businesses to be anywhere and serve customers everywhere. Canada s First Nation population is growing. Canadian on-reserve population has grown 76.4% between 98 and Business opportunities for this growing on-reserve population are 24 Strategic Network Group 25 Statistics Canada, First Nations, Metis and Inuit Women Note these counts are from the Census of Population. The number of Status Indians recorded by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada's Indian Register differs from Statistics Canada's census counts of Status Indians. These two data sources do not count Status Indians in the same way or for the same purpose. The Indian Register is an administrative database, while the census is a statistical survey. (For more information, see '2006 Census: A decade of comparable data on Aboriginal Peoples' at February 203 2

22 vastly expanded through skilled use of Internet tools, most of which require broadband connectivity. With this level of population growth, it is important for First Nation people to have the capacity to participate in, and contribute to, the First Nation and Canadian economy. Broadband has gone from being a luxury to a necessity for full participation in our economy and society. Without broadband connectivity, people tend to leave small rural communities for business reasons as well as for social reasons. 26 First Nation communities in Canada differ from other rural populations, in that they are experiencing steady growth with and without broadband connectivity. Nonetheless, broadband connectivity will facilitate prosperity in First Nation communities by expanding their economies, thus enabling a higher standard of living. 4.2 The Microenterprise Experience Ontario s First Nation communities typically have low populations. Of 33 communities, only 3 have more than 3,000 residents. Eighty eight percent of the communities have fewer than,000 residents. Their local markets are very small. Like most Canadian businesses, most First Nation enterprises are microenterprises, employing between one and four people. 27 In order to reach beyond their local markets, First Nation businesses need to use the Internet. Microenterprises attribute significant profitability to the use of Internet technologies and e- business solutions. They report greatest business value from: Market development, Information sharing with customers, and Undertaking online transactions. 28 Virtually all business applications rely on broadband connectivity. Dial-up networks can cause interruptions in processes and unreasonable delays. Businesses that use dial-up tend to minimize their use of the Internet because of slower speeds and unreliable connections. The differing expectations between a business owner using dial-up and a customer on broadband can also be a barrier. For these reasons, broadband connectivity is very important to the performance of small business. Note that growth rates may be affected by the improved enumeration of Indian reserves and settlements in the census over time. 26 Strategic Networking Group, Uncovering the Value of Rural Broadband, Mar 3, Warren I. Weir, First Nation Small Business and Entrepreneurship in Canada, December Charles, H. Davis, Vladica, Florin, The Value of Internet Technologies and E-Business Solutions to Microenterprises in Atlantic Canada, December February

23 4.3 Internet Tools By definition, microenterprises do not have sales forces, and support teams. In First Nation communities they typically do not have large walk in markets. If their market is external to the community, they will interact with a large number of their clients using Internet tools. First Nations businesses, like most Canadian businesses rely on the Internet for the following activities. All these tools require broadband connectivity Online Transactions Banking Many First Nation communities do not have a bank within the community. Where there is a local bank, many clients prefer online banking. Banks charge for paper statements. Many businesses use electronic funds transfer, access their bank accounts online and download their bank statements into accounting systems. Bank website interfaces require broadband access. E-commerce transactions As many microenterprise sales transactions will be conducted over the Internet, broadband connectivity is critical to the sales function. Servers must be hosted on a site with a high-speed connection and will typically be an external service. Maintaining web sites requires broadband connectivity. Setting up e-commerce functionality requires use of tools that perform best over broadband connections Other Business Functions Market Development Microbusinesses advertise using online ads, bulk and their own web sites. Many First Nation businesses require sales outside their community to achieve sales volumes required for profitability and rely on these e-tools. Managing these tools requires broadband connectivity. Customer Relationship Management The Customer Relationship Management function is increasingly carried out using CRM software. In some cases, this system includes electronic payments. These tools require broadband connectivity. Web-Based Business Tools Many small businesses use web-based solutions for business collaboration and other functions. These tools are ideal for First Nations businesses because they are virtually maintenance free. They do not require an IT specialist for set up or ongoing support. They are secure with remote access over a broadband connection. These solutions have low software costs and are easy to use. Services available through web-based solutions include file sharing, file transfer, videoconferencing and project management tools. Information Sharing with Customers For efficiency and to avoid long distance phone charges, most microenterprises communicate with their clients primarily via or online chat. over a dial-up connection is too slow to be practical for a small business user. Online chat must be in real-time to be effective. Research Research on products, competition, sources of supply and potential markets is critical to success of a microenterprise. This type of work requires broadband connectivity. Training and Manuals Online training is practiced in many small businesses. This type of activity requires broadband connectivity. For most repair or technical activities, manuals are online and require broadband access. February

24 Software Updates Software requires periodic updates. These are data intensive and require a broadband connection. 4.4 Access to Government Services Communications with provincial and federal government departments for funding programs, filing and paying taxes and research on government programs all require broadband connectivity. 4.5 First Nation ISPs Some First Nation organizations own, manage and operate the Internet Service Provider business within their communities. In this way, communities own and manage their local first mile networks. This provides employment opportunities and skills development within the community, while ensuring that the ISP s operations are consistent with the objectives of the community. Various business models are being pursued in communities across Ontario. K-Net, the Western James Bay Telecom Network, the Chippewas of the Saugeen, the Mohawks Bay of Quinte and Walpole Island First Nation each operate a distinct business model that meets their needs. In most cases, Government funding has been the enabler for this type of enterprise. However, the Mohawks Bay of Quinte and Walpole Island have financed the establishment and operation of their community owned ISPs. As a result, they are not beholden to the requirements of funding programs or other stakeholders. 4.6 Opportunities Off-Reserve For First Nation people who choose to live off-reserve, broadband connectivity on reserve provides the capacity to remain in close contact with family and friends on-reserve. This supports them in pursuing interests and opportunities and still maintaining their roots and culture. 4.7 The Broadband for Rural and Northern Development (BRAND) Experience In the 2007 evaluation of the Industry Canada-BRAND Program, the top reported benefits of the program, all contributed to economic development. They were as follows:. For rural business, to remain competitive with businesses in urban centres. 2. Being able to do banking at a distance, and buy and sell goods online. 3. Improved access to government services and information, e.g., filing taxes, and completing other government forms. 4. Being able to conduct research on the Internet and downloading large files for work and/or school/education. 29 Though broadband has become indispensible since that time, the reported benefits of the BRAND program are still relevant. 29 Industry Canada, Formative Evaluations of the Broadband for Rural and Northern Development Pilot Final Report, November February

25 4.8 Conclusion For First Nations businesses, broadband connectivity does not provide competitive advantage. Broadband connectivity is necessary for businesses to participate in the economy. Broadband connectivity contributes to economic development in First Nation enterprises as it does for all enterprises. These small businesses depend on the Internet for most of their communications and sales. Business tools now rely almost exclusively on broadband connectivity. To access government services, and to stay in contact with community members who decide to live elsewhere, First Nation communities require broadband connectivity. As an added benefit, First Nations ISPs offer skilled employment opportunities to First Nations people. 5 Governance and Administration Benefits of Broadband Connectivity Broadband Internet connectivity will support First Nations leadership and administration in establishing information management and technology capacity, which can be used to provide improved services to residents, improve partnerships with funding agencies and to manage territories and natural resources. 5. Administrative Services With broadband connectivity, administrative managers can provide information about services provided on the community web site. Certain services can be provided online. Registration for community programs can be done online. 5.2 Administrative Functions Community administration and leadership will benefit from all Internet business tools referred to in Section 4.3 Internet Tools under Economic Development in this document. For example, Council members may decide to attend certain functions by video-conference instead of travelling to all meetings. In addition to the cost avoidance, participation in meetings can be more regular, as it is more affordable and less time consuming. Some councils may decide that participants may officially participate remotely, thereby making quorum easier to achieve and enabling better progress on some decisions. Administrative efficiencies and increased accuracy can be achieved by using file repositories and collaborative software tools such as Share Point or OpenTouch. Even simple capacity improvements enabling faster web browsing and software updates improve overall operational efficiency. The experience in one office, where connectivity was recently upgraded to broadband, was considerable time-savings from routine activities. Staff estimated that they each saved half an hour a day when broadband enabled instant and file download. There are 5 employees working in that office. As each person freed up 30 minutes a day to do other things, this translates to,732 hours per year (based on a 23 work day year). This is equivalent to adding a full employee to their staff. 5.3 Community Operations Some community operations, water processing and management, for example, will benefit from broadband connectivity to supporting organizations. With e-water services, the community water February

26 management system is supported remotely. For example, data from water testing can be sent electronically to a central monitoring centre. If water cleanliness does not meet standards, notification can be sent from the central monitoring system back to the community for remediation. This enhances the health security of the community. Manuals for water systems can be accessed online for regular maintenance procedures or repairs. Training and mentoring of water treatment technicians can be supplemented via videoconference or online learning Funding Programs Community administrators can access information on government funding programs through their websites. They can also share program data with government departments and other partners via or project management tools. 5.5 Professional Development Broadband connectivity can support one to improve in his/her career by enabling on-line training for chief and council, administration and other administrative employees, including water technicians, health care workers, IT staff, educators and economic development officials. 5.6 Natural Resource Management and Land Claims Broadband connectivity and ICT tools such as GIS systems and online legal documents, survey data, land registries and the Land Sales System provide access to a modern lands and resource management regime that will help to enhance the value of First Nations assets. For the purposes of resource management, ICT infrastructure and software programs, such as GIS maps and photorealistic images, can assist communities to better define their territory. This makes it far easier for communities to pragmatically identify regions under dispute and articulate clearly defined lands and resources within existing negotiations. Communities can also leverage their defined territory to pursue business relationships with government and the private sector Conclusion For access to government services, to provide e-services to their own people and to manage their land and resources, First Nation communities require reliable broadband connectivity. The benefits in terms of productivity for community administration and the quality of the services they provide are important to the success and good government of the band. 6 Summary Broadband connectivity in First Nation communities is critical to support access to education and 30 Michael Gurstein, A Community Based Model for e-servicing in First Nation Communities, The Journal of Infomatics, Vol 5, No 2, The Last Mile First Re-framing Broadband Development in First Nations and Inuit Communities, Dec, First-Dec--200.pdf) February

27 health care, which are essential services. It is also an enabler for economic development and community governance and administration. Broadband connectivity supports improved service delivery and professional capacity development in key social and economic delivery areas, such as health care, education and economic development and community governance and administration. Connectivity enables options in education for students of all ages. It enables access to rich resources for students who chose to study within their communities. It enables First Nation people who chose to leave their community for any reason, to stay in contact with their community at home and maintain family and cultural ties that are important to them. E-Health services are not possible without broadband connectivity. E-health services support better health outcomes, as they enable access to timely and appropriate care without undue burden. They support community health surveillance, community education about health issues and healthy living. Connectivity enables professional development and networking for professional staff contributing to better retention of health care workers. Broadband Connectivity supports economic development in First Nation communities by enabling the use of e-business tools. Connectivity does not provide competitive advantage. It is necessary for participation in the 2 st Century economy. For band governance and administration, connectivity is an important tool. It is necessary for the operation of business software, for access to e-government service and for providing e-services to First Nations citizens. Community leaders and administrators are involved in natural resource management and treaty negotiations that benefit from the use of GIS systems, legal systems and business software. Broadband connectivity enables more efficient community operations and administration. Broadband connectivity, which not long ago was seen as a luxury, is now an essential supporting element in every community. February

28 Chapter 2 Assessment of Existing Government Broadband Policies and Programs 7 Introduction The level of Internet connectivity among First Nation communities in Ontario varies substantially. Government support coupled with the participation of private enterprise and the First Nation communities themselves have been instrumental in bringing broadband connectivity to its present level and are essential to moving forward. The very small size of many of the communities, their low population densities and their rural to very remote or isolated locations, all across Ontario, present challenges in delivering broadband connectivity. There is rarely a positive business case for private enterprise to build and operate networks in areas with low population density, while meeting their mandate for economic return to shareholders. For the same reasons, the cost of deploying networks is too high for most First Nation communities to support on their own. Recognizing the importance of Internet connectivity to all Canadians, there are many government programs providing financial support for broadband Infrastructure in Ontario s First Nation communities. Most of these programs focus on building infrastructure to deliver broadband connectivity to communities. This infrastructure is referred to as the transport or backhaul network. Some programs provide ongoing ICT support for health or education services. Many different models for funding, implementation, operation and ownership have been used. For infrastructure projects, it has been typical to combine funding from two or more programs to fund each project. At present, spring 202, FedNor and the Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation are active in funding capital projects. Other major capital funding programs are closed. New funding has been announced in general terms by Infrastructure Canada, but specific details have not yet been released and are not expected until Capital Infrastructure Programs First Nation broadband funding has typically focussed on construction of infrastructure, in some cases, transport (backhaul) to the communities, in other cases, also including access within the communities. Ongoing operations costs for the networks, with the exceptions of some operations costs for health care and education, have typically been managed and paid for by the communities. This was a recommendation of the BRAND program upon its completion in 2007, and has been generally adhered to. 8. Federal Programs In recent years, the Federal Government has funded broadband Internet infrastructure primarily through the following programs. Industry Canada Broadband Canada- Connecting Rural Canadians Industry Canada/FedNor INAC First Nations Infrastructure Fund (FNIF) February

29 Health Canada Infrastructure Canada -Building Canada Fund Industry Canada - Broadband for Rural and Northern Development (BRAND) The Industry Canada-Broadband Canada-Connecting Rural Canadians program has been the major recent funder of First Nation broadband infrastructure projects in Ontario. This fund has supported the expansion of broadband connectivity across the country and has supported increased connectivity in many First Nation communities. Industry Canada has required that financial contributions be made to a recipient capable of owning and operating a network. First Nation ISPs are eligible to receive funding. In some, cases First Nation communities have partnered with non-first Nation ISPs. Industry Canada-FedNor is an ongoing contributor to First Nation broadband networks. Their approach is to fund the community directly. INAC s First Nations Infrastructure Fund has been a very significant contributor to First Nation broadband expansion. This fund contributed to connectivity to communities (backhaul) and within communities (community access). In Ontario, it has contributed to construction of the North Western Ontario Broadband Initiative and to the Saugeen First Nation Fibre Network. As broadband capacity has become an enabler of delivery of health care services, Health Canada has contributed to spending on broadband infrastructure. They have provided financial support to broadband programs funded through other departments. Together, Broadband Canada, FNIF, FedNor and Health Canada have contributed over $29M to broadband programs for First Nation communities. Infrastructure Canada s Building Canada Fund has contributed to the Eastern Ontario Regional Network. The Industry Canada - Broadband for Rural and Northern Development (BRAND) program was a pilot program, which made the first significant inroads in deploying broadband services in underserved areas. The program was completed in 2007 and has served as a learning point and a starting point for subsidy of broadband infrastructure in areas where it is not feasible for the private sector without support. The goal of this $05M program was to address the broadband gap between served and underserved communities. Twenty Ontario First Nation communities participated in this program. 8.2 Provincial Programs Major sources of Ontario Broadband funding have been: Building Broadband in Rural and Northern Ontario (BBRNO) Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Rural Connections Broadband Program The Province of Ontario, through the BBRNO, has been the largest funder of First Nation broadband infrastructure in Ontario. Rural Connections has provided broadband Internet to 4 First Nation communities. The Rural Connections program required that a municipality be prime on each project. This program benefited from critical mass of population to drive efficiencies of scale. Both BBRNO and Rural Connections are now all complete. February

30 The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, which supports economic development in Northern Ontario, is an ongoing potential source of broadband funding. They have contributed $5M to the North Western Ontario Broadband Initiative (NWOBEI). 8.3 Capital Funding Summary Table shows amounts and sources of funding for the recent major First Nations Broadband initiatives. The first part of the table refers to First Nation projects; the second part refers to general government programs which serve First Nation as well a non-first Nation communities. For these programs, funding is not broken out according to First Nation/non-First Nation status. The North Western Ontario Broadband Expansion Initiative includes funding only for backhaul connectivity to communities. In the communities served through this project, further funding will be required for community access networks. All other projects include funding for backhaul and access networks. Funding Programs-> BBRNO NOHFC Provincial Funding AANDC FNIF Industy Canada FedNor Industry Canada Broadband Canada Health Canada Total Federal Funding Private Funding Community Funding Total Funding $M First Nations Projects $M Northwestern Ontario Broadband Initiative Western James Bay Telecom Network Saugeen FN K-Net Mohawks Bay of Quinte Walpole Island Blue Sky Net SubTotals $28.60 $6.50 $35.0 $6.47 $6.0 $5.60 $3.27 $3.44 $28.30 $0.37 $95.2 General Programs OMAFRA Rural Connections BRAND- Ontario only 7.6?? 8.3 SubTotal EORN Project Total Spending $20.0 $86.44 $38.30 $23.37 $386.5 Table : Capital Funding by Program Table 2 shows this broadband funding on a per household passed basis. The cost of the North Western Ontario Broadband Expansion Initiative is extremely high, at $7,609 per household, due to the remoteness of the network, harshness of the terrain and the number of communities involved, which increases the cost of obtaining required approvals and commitment. The cost of the Saugeen Network ($3,642/HH) is higher than the cost of the James Bay Telecom Network ($2,992/HH), because a fibre to the home community access network was installed in Saugeen, while in James Bay, an existing telco was contracted to install and operate a fixed wireless network. The very small number of homes in the Saugeen community also contributes to the high cost per household. The EORN Network ($454/HH) includes fibre backhaul and fixed wireless, DSL and satellite access services to rural residents in Eastern Ontario. The Rural Connections Program ($550/HH) included projects based on Fibre and Point-to-Point wireless backhaul networks and fixed wireless and DSL access networks in southern and eastern Ontario. The proximity to fibre backhaul in southern Ontario contributes to lower cost for backhaul networks. The large number of households served February

31 enables efficiencies of scale. Furthermore, the cost to serve rural residents in low-density areas has been mitigated with the use of fixed wireless and satellite services. Capital Expenditure per Household Total Funding* ($M) Households passed Cost per household First Nations Projects Northwestern Ontario Broadband Initiative $ ,827 $7,609 Western James Bay Telecom Network $8.02 2,679 $2,992 Saugeen FN $ $3,642 SubTotals $94. 7,806 $2,056 General Programs OMAFRA Rural Connections $ ,266 $550 BRAND- Ontario only $8.30 n/a SubTotal $2.30 EORN Project $ ,532 $454 Total Spending $385.4 $486 Table 2: Capital Expenditure per Household passed 9 Ongoing Operational Programs The ongoing programs which provide operations support for connectivity are: Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) - New Paths for Education Health Canada First Nations and Inuit Health Branch Industry Canada Community Access Program (closed) The ongoing cost of broadband network operations for education and health care are supported through funding from INAC and Health Canada. Operations costs for other applications are normally borne by the community served. K-Net, a northern Ontario ISP offers operations services and support on a payment for service basis to First Nation communities. They have received occasional funding through FedNor. Ongoing programs such as INAC New Paths for Education, previously SchoolNet, and the now terminated Community Access Program, have funded ongoing broadband connectivity to schools and community centres, and access infrastructure within these facilities. They also provide program support, equipment and training. These programs have supported communities in building IT capacity, and supporting Internet users through predictable financial and operational support. Health Canada, through the First Nations lnternet Health Branch (FNIHB) supports ongoing connectivity and ICT needs for health care, particularly e-health initiatives. February 203 3

32 K-Net acts as the Regional Management Organization for New Paths for Education and manages health care services in cooperation with INAC and the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) of Health Canada. 0 Program Details 0. Federal Programs This section provides details on programs that have funded infrastructure or operations for broadband connectivity in Ontario. Table 3 provides a summary of programs and their objectives. Program details follow. PROGRAM Industry Canada- Broadband Canada Industry Canada - FedNor INAC First Nations Infrastructure Fund Health Canada First Nation and Inuit Health Branch INAC New Paths for Education Community Access Program Infrastructure Canada -Building Canada Fund Industry Canada Canadian Strategic Infrastructure Fund Industry Canada - Broadband for Rural and Northern Development (BRAND) OBJECTIVE Improving connectivity to un-served Canadians including First Nations Regional Development in Northern Ontario through contribution directly to communities to support business and innovation Improve quality of life in First Nation communities through development of First Nations public infrastructure Delivery of public health and promotion of health services on reserves and in Inuit communities Improve quality of education in First Nation schools includes investment in infrastructure and operations Establishment and operation of sites for community Internet connectivity Support for a stronger economy, cleaner environment and more prosperous communities through investment in infrastructure Sustaining the economic growth and enhancing the quality of life for Canadians Pilot Program supporting development of broadband connectivity to un-served areas in Ontario with priority to First Nations, Inuit and Métis, northern, rural and remote February

33 communities Table 3: Federal Funding Programs and Objectives 0.. Industry Canada Broadband Canada- Connecting Rural Canadians Industry Canada s Broadband Canada program was designed to encourage the expansion and availability of broadband connectivity to as many unserved and underserved households in Canada as possible. The Program aimed to support the deployment of broadband infrastructure for Canadians in remote and rural areas. This $225M program was completed December 3, 20. For the purposes of this program, the following definitions are used: Broadband connectivity: Access to Internet service that supports data transmission at a minimum download speed of.5 Mbps to a household or business. Underserved households: Households which only have access to Internet service at a download speed below.5 Mbps. Unserved households: Households with no Internet access or access only via dial-up telephone service at speeds of up to 56 kbps. To be an eligible recipient, the applicant must be a Canadian legal entity that can build and operate broadband infrastructure. These included First Nations' organizations such as First Nation Internet Service Providers and Councils. Financial assistance from the Government of Canada was available for up to a maximum of 50% of total eligible project costs with the exception of projects proposing to serve First Nation communities, where the maximum was allowed to exceed 50 percent. In the case of First Nation projects, access to other sources of Federal Funding was possible. The NWOBEI initiative received $4.5M and the Chippewas of Saugeen First Nation has received $304.5K funding through this program. The Shawanaga First Nation and the Blue Sky Economic Growth Corporation were also funded through this program Industry Canada - FedNor Through its Northern Ontario Development Program, FedNor invests in projects that support community economic development, business growth and competitiveness, and innovation. This includes broadband programs, where the focus has been on backhaul and broadband points-ofpresence, fibre builds, fixed wireless solutions and satellite systems. Applications have included GIS, e-health, e-learning, e-government, e-business, tourism portals. FedNor s role in broadband deployment has been to work directly with communities, First Nations and not-for profit organizations; they do not contract directly with the private sector. Applicants identify service gaps and needs, issue an RFP and select a vendor. FedNor supports a percentage of the cost of infrastructure, often with other partners, such as the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation. FedNor contributed $5M to the Northern James Bay Telecom Network. They invested approximately $.5M in support of several broadband expansion projects including builds in February

34 Muskoka/Parry Sound, areas throughout Nipissing District and Sudbury East as well as Manitoulin Island. In October 200, FedNor announced an investment of $929,000 in the Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO)/Northern Chiefs Council for K-Net. The funds were used to upgrade its satellitebased broadband infrastructure that services 4 First Nation communities in North Western Ontario. 32 An investment of $25,000 by FedNor to enable Blue Sky Net to conduct a gap analysis study to identify areas in Northern Ontario that need improved broadband services was announced on May 23, 20. The investment will also allow the organization to map service areas and identify fibre optic access points. This work may be very useful in identifying gaps and available services for First Nation communities. 33 Generally, FedNor supports up to 33% of eligible capital costs and up to 50% of eligible non-capital costs INAC First Nations Infrastructure Fund (FNIF) Through the First Nations Infrastructure Fund (FNIF), the Federal Government has invested $234 million in First Nation communities across the country between 2007 and 203. The program's objectives are to improve health and safety of First Nation communities, contribute to a cleaner and healthier environment, improve the delivery of public services and enhance collaboration between First Nation communities, municipalities, provinces, other federal departments and the private sector Connectivity is one of several Project Categories under FNIF. Within this category, the following activities are supported. High-speed backbone (transport) networks Broadband points of presence (PoPs) Local access networks Satellite capacity All available funding has been allocated to qualified proposals and no further calls for proposals are anticipated. Through FNIF, INAC has committed $6.05M to NWOBEI and $70k to the Saugeen First Nation Broadband Network Health Canada INAC occasionally draws in other government partners to contribute funding to its broadband initiatives. Because of the recognized health benefits from broadband access to remote First 32 FedNor Web Site 33 FedNor Web Site 34 Federal and Provincial Broadband Programs in Ontario, Ontario FN Technical Services Conference, Sault Ste. Marie, August 25, INAC Web Site, February

35 Nation communities, particularly from telemedicine, Health Canada occasionally contributes to INAC connectivity initiatives. Since 2009, Health Canada has made contributions to the North Western Ontario Broadband Expansion Initiative and to the Western James Bay Telecom Network Health Canada First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) FNIHB provides health services and e-health infostructure for First Nation communities. The E- Health Infostructure Program (ehip) develops and adopts ICTs to support better access to better health care for First Nations and Inuit. It is acknowledged that present resource levels are insufficient to fully implement all activities and strategies pertaining to ehealth Infostructure. Based on national program funding available for fiscal year 20-2, the top three Branch priorities are: Telehealth Services, Panorama (Public Health Surveillance systems) and Broadband Connectivity. 36 Broadband Connectivity It is the goal of the e-hip to ensure all on-reserve health facilities have either broadband or high speed Internet services. The amount of bandwidth required is determined by the types of activities carried out on-reserve. Currently 75% of all facilities have access to either broadband or high speed Internet. 37 The ehip supports: Connectivity installation at the health facility (from community point of presence); External network services including bridging, security and quality of service; Operations and support (including helpdesk); Telecommunications equipment inclusive of bridges, switches, routers, servers, etc; Monthly connectivity charges; and Evergreening of connectivity equipment. The ehip Strategic Direction for Broadband Connectivity is as follows. Short Term ( year): Continue to sustain existing community connectivity infrastructure; Identify the gaps in community connectivity; Clarify the investments needed to address identified gaps; and Further define INAC and Health Canada s roles and responsibilities and better coordinate strategies within the connectivity context. 36 Guidelines for the FNIHB ehealth Infostructure Program (ehip), March FNIHB data February

36 Medium Term (2-5 years): Build community capacity to use and maintain connectivity infrastructure; Establish a connectivity framework expanding on the Health Infrastructure Strategic Action Plan, tying together the goals and expectations of First Nation communities, FNIHB, INAC and provincial governments; and Seek sustained and stable financial resources to support connectivity, with emphasis placed on partnerships among federal departments, provincial governments and private industry ( P3 partnerships ). Long Term (5 years and beyond): Once a framework and resources are in place, begin formally transferring responsibility for connectivity planning, sustainability and upgrades to communities/organizations by explicitly including connectivity/it requirements in transfer contribution agreement health plans. Through the FNIHB, Health Canada is investing on an ongoing basis in ehealth Infostructure in 29 northern Ontario communities. There are unserved remote communities that would benefit from ehealth services once they have broadband connectivity to their communities and develop appropriate readiness for ehealth programs INAC New Paths for Education New Paths for Education has superseded the Industry Canada First Nations SchoolNet Program, which closed on March 3, 20. The New Paths for Education Program funds projects to improve the quality of education in First Nation schools, and to enhance the educational experiences of students, teachers, administrators, parents and communities. The annual national budget of the New Paths program is $5M. This program has been very successful in funding infrastructure and ongoing operating costs of broadband access to First Nation schools. It funds Internet connectivity and professional development for teachers, supports involvement of parents in their children's education, development of instructional materials related to language and culture, and Internet connectivity. In many cases, the Internet connectivity provided through SchooolNet and New Paths for Education has also been used to support other community elements such as the administrative office or health care centre. SchoolNet has provided the first broadband connectivity to many communities. This funding is available on an ongoing basis. K-Net is the Regional Management Organization for the New Paths program in Ontario. They manage connectivity to the schools on an ongoing basis. 38 First Nations SchoolNet program demonstrated how community based broadband infrastructure and administration can assist with educational initiatives INAC Web Site 39 Potter, 2009 and Walmark, 2009; see also INAC 2009) February

37 0..7 Industry Canada Community Access Program The Community Access Program (CAP) created local access points, usually in schools or administrative buildings, for the public use of computers and connectivity. Even in urban environments, where basic connectivity infrastructure is well established, the issue of accessibility related to affordability could be addressed through community initiatives. Urban Aboriginal access points have been created. This program was in operation from 995 until March 3, 202. K-Net has received funding through this program. In addition to overcoming the issue of affordability, these access points were valuable because there was typically support for users from librarian, supervisors and other computer users at the access sites. This was helpful in developing computer and problem resolution skills Infrastructure Canada - Building Canada Fund Connectivity and broadband are eligible categories for this fund. Building Canada is a major contributor to the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN). Building Canada recognizes broadband connectivity as Infrastructure Industry Canada Canadian Strategic Infrastructure Fund This was a $4.3B fund for large-scale infrastructure projects in support of sustaining the economic growth and enhancing the quality of life for Canadians. Broadband connectivity was an eligible investment category. The Federal Government contributed up to a maximum of 50% of total eligible cost. This fund contributed to the National Satellite Initiative in the Northwest Territories and the First Nations Emergency Services Society Industry Canada - Broadband for Rural and Northern Development (BRAND) BRAND was a $05M pilot program, operated between 2002 and 2007 with the mission of supporting the deployment of broadband to unserved communities with priority to First Nations, Inuit and Métis, northern, rural and remote communities in order to demonstrate its economic, social and cultural benefits and improve the communities' participation in the national and global economy. The BRAND program received and approved 20 funding requests from First Nation reserves in Ontario. 4 99% of the community champions who responded to the BRAND evaluation survey felt that it was unlikely that they would have received broadband services without the BRAND program. Conclusions and recommendations from the Evaluation of the BRAND program included: Extend access to broadband service to a greater number of un-served Canadian communities 40 FedDeve Ontario, Building Canada Fund 4 Industry Canada, Evaluation of the Broadband for Rural and Northern Development Pilot Final Report, June, February

38 Industry Canada should establish a horizontal governance function in order to coordinate all initiatives federal, provincial, and private sector (e.g., funds from the deferral accounts) in order to avoid duplication of efforts, and to ensure that a greater number of Canadian communities are provided with access to affordable and reliable broadband services. On a case-by-case basis, consider decreasing the amount of funds that communities are required to match. Continue with the policy of Industry Canada subsidy of capital costs only, not operations (IC does not want to commit to ongoing costs with no pre-defined end). 0.2 Ontario Provincial Programs Three Provincial Programs that have supported expansion of broadband connectivity in Ontario. Programs and their objectives are listed in Table 4. Details of these programs follow. PROVINCIAL PROGRAM Building Broadband in Rural and Northern Ontario (BBRNO) OBJECTIVE To ensure communications infrastructure to support Ontario s Broadband Connectivity Targets Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Rural Connections Broadband Program To build strong, prosperous northern communities To expand broadband service for rural residents and businesses Table 4: Provincial Funding Programs and Objectives 0.2. Building Broadband in Rural and Northern Ontario (BBRNO) Through this program, announced in 2009, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs committed up to $32.75 million to support projects in partnership with the federal Broadband Canada: Connecting Rural Canadians program. BBRNO provided a co-investment of up to one-third of total eligible project costs. The criteria for co-investment include: addressing hard to serve areas, providing economic development opportunities and improving the capacity of Ontario s broadband networks. As one of Broadband Canada s criteria for contribution is that the recipient must be able to own and operate a telecom network, this criterion also becomes a requirement of BBRNO. This funding is totally committed. BBRNO has been the largest funder of the North Western Ontario Broadband Expansion Initiative, with a contribution of $27M in support of this project. The Saugeen First Nation has received financial support of $304,500 through this program. They were able to incorporate an ISP and partner with an existing ISP to take advantage of the initiative. February

39 Contributions to other Northern Ontario Projects benefit First Nation communities as they expand connectivity in the area Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) is a crown corporation and development agency of the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, mandated to promote and stimulate economic development in Northern Ontario. Their Emerging Technology Program is designed to encourage both the private and public sectors to develop exciting and viable new technologies that will contribute to future northern prosperity. First Nation communities are eligible to apply for funding. Since 2003, over $34M has been invested in Aboriginal communities. In 20, K-Net received $450K for Telecom and $4,729,500 to expand cellular service. The fund has also invested in the expansion of telehealth services. In 2008, this fund supported the Western James Bay Telecom Network with a contribution of $.5M. They have committed $5M to the North Western Ontario Broadband Initiative. The NOHFC has supported several broadband expansion projects in the Almaguin Highlands, Manitoulin Island, Marten River and certain areas throughout Nipissing District and Sudbury East. To date, they have contributed approximately $2 million to Broadband infrastructure in these areas. 43 The NOHFC may provide a conditional grant, repayable loan or forgivable performance loan of up to 50% of eligible costs not to exceed $M per project for infrastructure projects or $50k for community development projects. This is a good source of support for First Nation community broadband projects Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Rural Connections Broadband Program This program, announced in March 2008, was a $30 million, 4 year initiative designed to improve broadband access in rural regions in southern and south-eastern Ontario. For the purposes of this program, broadband is defined as a high-capacity link between end user and access network suppliers at a minimum download speed of.5 megabits per second. This program will serve approximately 550,000 rural residents and businesses. Through Rural Connections, the Government of Ontario partnered with rural municipalities on 54 high-speed Internet infrastructure projects. For each project, a municipality took the lead and partnered with the province and one or more Internet Service Providers to implement broadband service. The telecom sector took on up to 2/3 of the cost of each municipal project, investing $2 for every $ invested by the province. Total cost, from public and private investors, per household served is $ SFN%20June%209,%2020/Template.htm BlueSky Net Web Site February

40 Municipal governments co-ordinated the projects and in some cases, made financial investments in the projects. Four First Nation communities were served through this program: Alderville First Nation Chippewas of Georgian Island Curve Lake First Nation Six Nations of the Grand River. Barrier the requirement that municipalities lead projects may have limited access by First Nation communities to this funding. Recent Major Broadband Initiatives in Ontario The most recent major First Nations broadband initiatives are the North Western Ontario Broadband Expansion Initiative (NWOBEI) and the Western James Bay Telecom Network. The NWOBEI construction is under way; the Western James Bay Telecom Project has been in operation since 200. A Fiber to the Home network has been installed on the Chippewas of the Saugeen First Nation. In addition, the Eastern Ontario Regional Network is a project that has provided coverage to First Nation communities in Eastern Ontario.. The North Western Ontario Broadband Expansion Initiative (NWOBEI) This $85-million, 5 Phase initiative will bring a state-of-the-art backbone fibre optic network to 26 First Nation communities. Communities to be served include 24 Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) communities and two independent communities in Ontario's Far North. Ontario has committed $33.3 million, the federal government has committed $24.5 million and Bell Aliant is investing $27.2 million. This project was launched in November 200. Phases to 4 are scheduled for completion by December 204. Plans for Phase 5 are currently being reviewed as costs have proven to be higher than expected. The new network will cover a geographic area of roughly 490,000 square kilometres, equivalent to the surface area of Canada's five smallest provinces. This Fibre optic network will have the capacity to deliver a minimum of.5 megabits per second to every household in the served communities and replaces older satellite and microwave systems. Phases to 4 will bring service to 4,827 under-serviced households and Phase 5 will add another 764 households. The cost per household of this project is estimated at $7,600. Communities to be connected under Phase to Phase 4: Deer Lake Kasabonika Lake KeeWayWin Kingfisher Lake North Caribou Lake Sachigo Lake Cat Lake Bearskin Lake Mishkeegogamang February North Spirit Lake Poplar Hill Sandy Lake Slate Falls Wunnumin Lake Wawakapewin Wapekeka Pikangikum Ojibway Nation of Saugeen

41 Koocheching Muskrat Dam Kitchenuhmaykoosib Communities to be served under Phase 5: Eabametoong Neskantaga Nibinamik Marten Falls Webequie Red Lake and Pickle Lake will also benefit from the network because of their close proximity to the planned network path. Fort Severn and Weenusk communities will receive higher speed internet via satellite service, once the project is complete, as a number of communities will no longer be using the satellite link Western James Bay Telecom Network The Western James Bay Telecom Network, serving the First Nation communities of Attawapiskat, Fort Albany and Kashechewan, was officially launched on February 23, 200. This project has provided fibre backhaul connectivity to the communities and fixed wireless and fibre connectivity within the communities. Funding for this $8M project was secured from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation ($.5 M), FedNor ($5M), Health Canada ($65K), Mushkegowuk Council ($00k) and Attawaspikat, Kashechewan and Fort Albany First Nations ($50k). A private ISP invested $.M. Through this project, 6,00 residents have received access to broadband service at a cost of $2,992 per household passed (based on 2,679 households). The Mushkegowuk Council established a community-based entity, called the Western James Bay Telecom Network, which owns and operates the network. Western James Bay Telecom Network leases the fibre optic cable from Five Nations Energy Inc., an electricity transmission company, which installed the fibre optic cable during construction of the new transmission line to the De Beers Victor diamond mine 90 kilometres west of Attawapiskat. This fibre optic network provides backhaul to communities along the western shore of James Bay. There are local fibre distribution networks as well as fixed wireless distribution in Kashechewan, Attiwaspikat and Fort Albany. The local ISP in these communities is Xitel Telecommunications Bay_ February 203 4

42 .3 Chippewas of Saugeen Fiber to the Home Network The Chippewas of Saugeen First Nation has established a fibre to the home network in their community. For this $.09M project, the Saugeen First Nation received $304,500 from Building Broadband in Rural Ontario, $500,000 from Industry Canada and $70,000 from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). The Saugeen community contributed funds to the project. They provide fibre to the home with 0 mbps Internet service to approximately 280 households and the community buildings in their community. Fixed wireless service is available to another 20 band households and will be made available to about 90 non First Nation cottages. Residents pay $40 per month for 0 mbps service. The cost of the network, at $.092M is $3,642 per household passed..4 Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) This project was launched in 2009, with the objective of bringing a world-class network to Eastern Ontario that is scalable over the next 0 years. EORN will improve high-speed Internet access for more than one million residents of Eastern Ontario. The network is being built with the support of federal (Infrastructure Canada), provincial (OMAFRA), municipal, and private sector partners. Through the Infrastructure Canada Building Canada Fund Major Infrastructure Component, the governments of Canada and Ontario are jointly providing two-thirds of the total eligible costs of the project, to a maximum combined contribution of $0 million or $55 million each. EOWC Inc. will contribute up to $0 million to the project. The total cost of this project, including investment by local Internet Service Providers, is estimated to be $70 million. Based on these publicly available numbers the total cost per resident served is estimated at $70, or at an Ontario average of 2.67 residents per household, $454 per household. The backhaul network includes a 5,500 km network of new and existing fibre optic cable, with 60 new access points for Internet Service Providers. EORN is contracting with Internet service providers to increase coverage area, bandwidth and speed. The goal is to provide higher speeds and bandwidth to at least 95% of homes and businesses in Eastern Ontario. In the access network the focus is on bringing services to un-served and under-served areas. High-speed Internet services will be made available for residents and businesses through wired, wireless or satellite technology, depending on the best fit for the area. In the Access Network the objective is to provide 0 mbps service to 85% of the households in Eastern Ontario, and.5 mbps or higher to 95% of the households SFN%20June%209,%2020/Template.htm February

43 The program has enabled the offer of service packages between.5 mbps and up to 6 mbps depending on the customer location. Satellite access remains the best -fit technology for very sparsely populated areas or regions with difficult terrain. The regional network specification would be Gigabit Ethernet evolvable to 0 Gigabit Ethernet capacities. This is an important component as without sufficient regional network capacity, service performance for the users degrades. As more users are added and services become more sophisticated the need to have higher bandwidth available without requiring electronics or link facilities changes is significant. The EORN project objective is to improve broadband access to all communities in Eastern Ontario including First Nations. EORN is also dedicated to ensuring that these communities have a voice in how they are served. Of the 6 communities in eastern Ontario, 4 are participating in the project. The First Nation Communities that participated in Eastern Ontario Regional Network include: Alderville First Nation Curve Lake First Nation Mohawks of Akwesasne Algonquins of Pikwakanagan 2 Funding Models Several different funding models have been used for development of infrastructure and ownership and operation of First Nation networks. It can be useful to look at backhaul networks that provide connectivity to the community separately from community access networks that provide connectivity within the community. The most prevalent models are: Backhaul: Publicly/Privately Funded, non-first Nation owned and operated Publicly/ Privately Funded, First Nations Owned and operated Access: Publicly/Privately Funded, Privately operated Community Funded and owned and operated Community pays for service on Non First Nation, privately owned and operated network Table 5 shows the funding models followed by several major First Nation broadband projects. NOBEI W.James Bay Saugeen MBQ Walpole I Backhaul Infrastructure Funding Public/Private Public/Private Public/Private Private N/A Ownership Private Community Private Private Private Community Access Infrastructure Funding N/A Private/Public Public/Private Community Community Ownership & Operation Community Private- Xittel Community Community Community Operations Funding Community & (other than Health and Education) N/A Fee for service Fee for Service Fee for Service Community Table 5: Funding Models and Major Projects February

44 Backhaul infrastructure is typically publicly and privately financed and owned by an Internet Service Provider. The local access network is often also subsidized, but owned and operated by the community. Government support is provided for ongoing operations for health care and education. The community typically funds other operations within the community. Government funding has been the largest component of the North Western Ontario Broadband Expansion Initiative (NWOBEI), the Western James Bay Telecom Network and the Saugeen First Nation Network. Some of these networks have also benefitted from private funding by an ISP and community funding. The NWOBEI backhaul network will be owned and operated by Bell Aliant, at least in the short term. The Western James Bay Telecom Network and the Saugeen community network are owned and operated by First Nation entities. Network ownership ensures management positions within the company for First Nations members. Other employment positions can be available for First Nations people under either model. Network ownership also keeps any profits from operations within the communities. 48 The Mohawks Bay of Quinte and the Walpole Island First Nations have funded broadband networks themselves. They own and operate their networks. Another model for bringing broadband to a First Nations community is to have a private ISP serve the community. The community and its residents and businesses buy service directly from the ISP like any other customer does. This has been done in the Hiawatha First Nation and in communities served through Rural Connections and the EORN. More detailed examples of each model are provided in the following sections. 2. Publicly/Privately Funded, non-first Nation owned 2.. North Western Ontario Broadband Expansion Initiative (NWOBEI) NWOBEI is a huge undertaking in vast remote parts of Northern Ontario. The initiative is funded by the federal government, the Government of Ontario and a private partner, Bell Aliant. Bell Aliant is building, and will own and operate, the backhaul infrastructure for a minimum of 5 years after project completion. 2.2 Publicly/Private/Community Funded, First Nations Owned 2.2. Western James Bay Telecom Network The Western James Bay Telecom Network, a community based entity owns and operated a fibre optic and wireless network supporting the First Nation communities of Attawapiskat, Fort Albany and Kashechewan. The Mushkegowuk Council owns the network. The network received public funding of approximately 6.7M and private funding of $.35M Saugeen First Nations Network The Saugeen First Nation fibre to the home network is owned and operated by The Driftwood Corporation, which is owned by the community. This corporation was created to meet the 48 These are unlikely to be highly profitable networks due to their small subscriber base and frequent reliance on long distance backhaul. February

45 Broadband Canada funding requirement that money be granted to an ISP. Approximately $970,000 of public funding was provided to build the network. The Driftwood Corporation is able to operate the network with service revenues and support of the community. They are planning to become profitable Fort Severn A community owned and operated satellite network, the Northern Indigenous Community Satellite Network (NICSN), was launched in It was funded through FedNor and Industry Canada SchoolNet. This was the first K-Net community. Satellite capacity available to Fort Severn will increase as other communities move off satellite service and onto fibre as a part of the NWOBEI project. Fort Severn is a successful community managed model. 2.3 First Nation Funded, Owned and Operated Networks 2.3. Mohawks Bay of Quinte The Mohawks Bay of Quinte have self-funded a fibre network in their community. They will own and operate the network, which was completed in 202. The band operates their own ISP providing voice and Internet services on a subscription basis to community members who chose to subscribe. Prices are market rates. Services are also offered to non-community citizens within reach of the network. The fibre network also provides the community with capacity to offer television should they decide to expand their services. By funding their own network, MBQ have been able to exert complete control over its mandate and operations. The MBQ have access to private backhaul facilities, which they pay for at market rates Walpole Island The Community of Walpole Island, in Southern Ontario, has worked with a consultant to establish a broadband access network owned and operated by their community. The Community has established STARS Canada LLC. (STARS) to own and operate their broadband community access network. STARS purchases transport bandwidth from other ISPs. Walpole Island was able to provide bridge financing as start-up capital for the network. The concept behind STARS consists of identifying efficiencies in the community, that can reduce operations costs, and redeploying the resulting savings to develop and operate a broadband network. The focus is on freeing existing resources to make them available for ownership and operation by the community. The network is owned and operated by the community for the community. STARS has developed favourable relationships with vendors, enabling them to negotiate low prices for services. STARS provides Internet service to consumer and institutional community citizens. The First Nation covers the cost under specific agreements. For extra bandwidth required for gaming or other very high bandwidth applications, a fee is levied. The First Nation manages traffic, but does not throttle. Non-First Nation citizens and some commercial enterprises pay for service. Taking the steps to work with a third party to initiate this process requires strong support from community leadership and trust that savings in one area will be diverted to develop capacity in another to the benefit of the community. Department heads are often segregated through different funding arrangements and cannot easily identify spending to be deferred to another department. February

46 The STARS concept meets Chief Gilbert s philosophy of not allowing others to do for you what you can do for yourself. Owning and operating their own network allows the Walpole Island community to keep expenditures within their own community while expanding their capacity Pay for Service on Third Party Network Hiawatha, Curve Lake, Alderville, Golden Lake and Red Lake are examples of communities where the band and individual subscribers purchase service from third party ISPs. This model is effective in areas where there is an ISP capable of providing services to meet the needs of the community. 3 Northern Ontario Service Providers An examination of Broadband Programs would not be complete without including these Northern Ontario Service Providers. K-Net provides operations support to many Northern Ontario First Nation Communities. They receive federal funding for education and healthcare networks, but are funded by the communities they serve for other operations functions. Blue Sky Networks, Ontera and Northern Tel are fee for service ISPs that provide services to Northern communities. There are significant efficiencies of scale and opportunities to share expertise in using these regional organizations. 3.. The Kuhkenah Network (K-Net) K-Net is a broadband network manager, which offers services to more than 00 First Nations across 3 provinces and connects these communities to many services and government agencies. K-Net is a program of the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Tribal Council. Kuhkenah is an Oji-Cree term for everyone, everywhere. The network was built through partnerships between First Nation communities and organizations and federal and provincial departments and agencies. K-Net Supports health, education and justice applications with an integrated province-wide First Nation service desk and provides secure access to web-enabled applications and content providers. 50 By negotiating and contracting for bulk rates on regional access to broadband backhaul services, they are able to offer good terms to their First Nations clients. K-Net provides a wide range of online services including and help desk. They act as the Regional Management Office for New Paths for Education in Ontario, support Keewaytinook Internet High School (KIHS), as well as telehealth and telemedicine Internet services. K-Net provides computer training and skills development and community networking programs. Additionally, K-Net facilitates multipoint videoconferencing and quality of service for counterpart networks in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, and the Maritimes Ed Hudson and Allen Delearie, April 5, KNET&KOTM, In Partnership for Healthy First Nation Communities, Fiser, Clement, & Walmark, February

47 Many of the community networks served by K-Net are designed in a way that enables them to pool bandwidth resources, particularly during peak operations. K-Net was initially conceived as a bulletin board system to provide support from family and friends via text messaging to children who were living away from their communities to complete their schooling. The service was quickly picked up by schools and other communities in the region and later expanded to offer broadband Internet and ICT services to communities. K-Net is currently part of the Northern Indigenous Community Satellite Network (NICSN) with the Kativik Regional Government in Quebec, and the Keewatin Tribal Council in Manitoba and the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Tribal Council in Ontario. In 2007, Infrastructure Canada announced funding for the Northern Indigenous Community Satellite Network (NICSN) project to extend K-Net services to residents in 43 northern communities. With the completion of the NWOBEI network, K-Net will manage fibre access to the 26 NAN communities served by that project. K-Net is based on a services model, where connectivity is initially provided to anchor tenants such as schools, health units, and administration or band offices. Anchor tenants require large amounts of bandwidth and pay monthly service fees, which secure the business case for the network. This model does not initially provide residential broadband access but supplies communities with a model and backhaul connectivity, which form the beginning of a community owned network. 52 K-Net provides network management services for community networks on a fee for service basis. Funding has been provided to K-Net from FedNor and through the Northen Ontario Heritage Fund. K-Net appears to be one of the most successful First Nation ISP models in the country. They are very effective in serving rural and remote communities that cannot support a private, for profit ISP. This is because shared services across multiple communities are cost effective due to efficiencies of scale not realized in small communities. In addition to cost, technical and organizational resources are shared across all communities served. Ket-Net helps develop IT capacity in the communities served. The New Paths for Education regional management function provides a link between K-net and all communities. Tribal Council support is helpful. Because of the proven track record of K-Net, funders are supportive of it Blue Sky Region Community Network (BSRCN) Blue Sky Net, a community based Internet Service Provider, assists in the development of ICT projects throughout Northern Ontario. They work to bring service providers, potential customers and government programs together to deliver broadband Internet and cellular telephone services to residents and businesses. FedNor invested $499,800 in February 20, to support the ongoing operations of Blue Sky Net for a two-year period. Specifically, this funding will be used to implement ICT applications and promote the adoption of related activities by small and medium-sized businesses and community partners in the Nipissing and Temiskaming region. In July 20, FedNor, through its 52 Fiser, Clement, & Walmark, February

48 Broadband for E-business and Marketing Program, contributed $75,000 to Blue Sky Net to support small businesses implementing e-business technology and to develop digital skills. 53 Programs are offered in rural communities including First Nation communities. On May 22, 202, FedNor announced an investment of $25,000 to enable Blue Sky Net to conduct a gap analysis study to identify areas in Northern Ontario that need improved broadband services. The investment will also allow the organization to map service areas and identify fibre optic access points. 4 Preparation for New Funding The major federal and provincial sources of broadband infrastructure funding are now fully subscribed. Infrastructure Canada announced in the March 202 budget that there will be a new funding program, but details are not yet available. Infrastructure Canada typically considers broadband connectivity as infrastructure. Infrastructure Canada has funded satellite broadband services. As new funding initiatives are coming and lead times for application are normally short, advance preparation for application to these programs is recommended. Implementing broadband connectivity is a huge undertaking. It involves managing very large financial investments to ensure that community goals are met. In remote and isolated communities, the investment required and the logistics involved are greater than in less remote areas. Developing community readiness for the project is important. Key elements of community readiness are: Leadership, Vision, Organizational Stability and Implementation Ability. Leadership is the catalyst that drives and maintains all other elements. Community Awareness Leadership Community Readiness Implementation Ability Vision Organizational Stability Figure 3 53 FedNor.gc.ca, Government of Canada Investment to enhance Broadband Services Across Northen Ontario, May 22, February

49 It is recommended that communities be prepared to make applications in advance of funding announcements. Community readiness is a factor normally considered in granting broadband funding. It is important to have leadership, a vision and plan to successfully pursue any broadband project. Organizational stability and community awareness are also areas of readiness that should be evaluated and developed. The Toolkit describes in detail, the steps involved in assessing and developing community readiness for broadband network expansion. Broadband programs have been successful in creating employment for First Nation people. This is something that can be negotiated with participating ISPs. Developing skills among community residents is also helpful in this regard. IT skills and qualifications are a great asset to a community ISP. They can be developed through training programs at a college level or other types of program, or gained through working, perhaps in another community. Residents with trades and qualifications such as construction and operating heavy equipment can be very employable in network deployment. 5 Challenges to implementation of Broadband Infrastructure: There are challenges to be overcome in funding the connectivity needs of First Nation communities in Ontario. With hard work, some can be overcome; others are endemic and have to be worked into the selected solutions. Lack of a financial business case to support subsidies for development and operation of networks. Lack of resources (technical, financial, managerial) within some communities to undertake broadband projects. Connectivity in remote and isolated communities is extremely expensive to develop. Where the EORN and Rural Connections program provided backhaul and access connectivity in eastern and southern Ontario at $450 to $550 per household, the NWOBEI project in northern communities is costing an estimated $7,600 per household for backhaul connectivity only. Connectivity in northern communities requires a very large investment. In some communities, funding ongoing network operations is difficult, even if infrastructure is heavily funded. Other communities have the resources to fund operations. Devising a subsidy system that takes into account these differences, but is fair to all communities is a challenge. The capacity within the First Nation communities to support their broadband networks and get the maximum benefit from them is essential. It is important to ensure that capacity for network management and operations, and training are in place. Remoteness and harsh geography in Northern Ontario contribute to the complexity and cost of deployment of broadband infrastructure. Organizing partners, funding sources, network architecture, governance, operations are all major challenges. Needs and goals of communities are unique. There is no standard set of solutions. February

50 6 Observations and Conclusions There are at least 4 programs that fund or have funded broadband connectivity for First Nation communities in Ontario since These programs all exist to support Canadian or Ontario citizens to have better access to the services they need. Over $66 M has been spent by federal and provincial governments and over $30M by the private sector, on major Ontario First Nations broadband undertakings. This expenditure has supported new broadband infrastructure in over 43 First Nation communities. The largest expenditure had been on the NWOBEI backhaul project. There is now a need for focus on developing community networks to better meet the connectivity needs within the communities and to identify means of paying for operations of those networks. By examining recent funding programs and funding models, it is possible to identify the type of program most suitable to a community s situation and needs. The following observations and conclusions arise from the examination of existing funding programs. Awareness There is a need to create awareness among politicians and the general public that there are still areas in Ontario, including many First Nation communities that do not have access to broadband connectivity. The percentage of overall population that is un-served is small, but if we look at particular geographic areas, or population segments, such as First Nations people, we will see service gaps that must be addressed. Digital Policy Canada has not specified a Digital Policy specifying minimum connectivity for all Canadians. This is both limiting and liberating at the same time. A strong digital policy would set the scene for adequate broadband connectivity for the needs of all Canadians. The problem with setting this type of policy is that reasonable requirements are constantly changing. There is no agreement on broadband requirements for specific applications. For example, what would be the desired degree of connectivity to small, remote First Nation community? It likely depends on the community, the expected life of the network and many other factors. First Nations may not want to wait for a Digital Policy, but will want to proceed with expanding connectivity to their communities. Funding As evidenced by the list of funding programs for broadband connectivity and government agencies, there has been considerable funding available for broadband projects. Funding for broadband connectivity is available from many sources: federal, provincial, community and private. Broadband funding is provided through broadband programs, but also through economic development, infrastructure and health care programs. Where funding to non-first Nation communities was often capped at 50% or 33% of eligible expenses, funding to First Nations is often not capped. We see accessibility of funding to First Nations groups and communities, particularly for infrastructure, less so for operations. Lack of Coordination among Funders Broadband funding comes from all levels of government, federal, provincial and municipal and through many different programs. This indicates a broad base of support for broadband connectivity. Though this broad funding support is positive, it takes creativity and resourcefulness to access the available funds. In many cases, the funding is not specifically allocated for broadband connectivity, or specifically for First Nations. A single project might take advantage of federal infrastructure funding, provincial heath care funding and community economic development funding and a contribution for a regional Internet Service Provider. Funding requirements vary with the funder and the program. Programs have February

51 required that funding be allocated to an ISP or a municipality. There is very little coordination among funders, although sometimes one program will adopt the requirements of a co-funder. Direction from Funders - Funders generally provide little direction on how to provide broadband connectivity, though some programs have required minimum performance levels, open access or precluded satellite service. This is generally seen as appropriate as it enables flexibility for recipients. Furthermore, organizations funding broadband connectivity are not necessarily experts on the issue. One recommendation of the BRAND Program was that Industry Canada should establish a horizontal governance function in order to coordinate all initiatives federal, provincial, and private sector (e.g., funds from the deferral accounts) in order to avoid duplication of efforts, and to ensure that a greater number of Canadian communities are provided with access to affordable and reliable broadband services. This recommendation has not been implemented. Some communities may prefer to fund their own projects rather than meet the conditions imposed by public funders In fact there are many ways to provide connectivity. In order to provide a clear view of alternative forms of connectivity and circumstances under which various alternatives would be most suitable, a Broadband Connectivity Toolkit has been provided. This Toolkit outlines options for infrastructure, management and operations. Operations Support Operations and support, provided by INAC for education, are generally seen as effective. Support from FNIHB for e-health is regarded as a good start, but progress is very slow. There is limited funding available for general operations support of broadband networks. Governments are averse to funding ongoing programs, as they involve unspecified, long-term financial commitments with benefits that are difficult to measure. That is why the BRAND Program recommendation was to fund only infrastructure. However, infrastructure is only one component of the overall broadband picture. Without on-going operational funding, users cannot consistently access the Internet and without the ability to access, expensive infrastructure is ineffectual. There are multiple ways of ensuring that ongoing operations are supported. Historically funding has not been provided for general network operations, but there are successful ways of addressing ongoing operations. A shared services model has proven be successful. In this way, bulk rates can be negotiated for backhaul connectivity and shared technical expertise can be developed for the benefit of multiple communities. Public funding, in addition to funding for education and e-health, will still be required, but it is less than if operations are conducted on a stand-alone, per community basis. In some communities, administrative staff, with subcontracting specialists as required, can operate networks inexpensively. There are different circumstances in different First Nation communities. Generally, remote or isolated communities have fewer resources to dedicate to broadband infrastructure and require more funding support for operations. Many communities that are not isolated and have employment opportunities have resources, which they can choose to dedicate to connectivity. February 203 5

52 Chapter 3: Broadband Connectivity in First Nation communities 7 Introduction The following section provides an overview and analysis of the available connectivity to communities in Ontario. It is important to understand that there are two distinct components to community connectivity: Connectivity to communities (Backhaul connectivity) Connectivity within communities (Community Access Connectivity). Both components are required for connectivity to the end user. These are investigated separately. However, the technology, capacity and speed of both the backhaul and community access networks will affect the level of service that can be provided to a community. This investigation has revealed that all communities with occupied dwellings, where information was available, currently have access to some form of backhaul connectivity. For % of communities, no information on backhaul connectivity is available. Another 7% of communities have no permanent dwellings and it is assumed that they have no connectivity. Backhaul connectivity information has been collected for the remaining 82% of communities. As geographic factors influence cost and availability, connectivity is examined on a regional basis. The following sources of information have been used for this section: Partial data from the COO Broadband Connectivity Survey The INAC Connectivity Data (Ontario Data Element) K-Net Information from the Rural Connections Program, the Eastern Ontario Regional Network, The James Bay Telecom Project and other Funding programs and projects In addition to the type of backhaul system infrastructure in place, the operating cost to purchase backhaul capacity on a monthly or annual basis is a factor contributing to service availability. Even on a modern, high capacity backhaul network, purchasing insufficient backhaul capacity will cause network congestion. The cost of backhaul capacity to First Nations is generally the same as the cost to other rural communities in the same region. Community access is the second aspect of connectivity to be evaluated. This includes connectivity within communities to public facilities, businesses and residences. All schools are connected, with varying amounts of speed and capacity. Administrative offices and health centres are also typically connected though the type and capacity of connectivity varies widely. There is information about the type of community access network in almost all communities, but the portion of the community that is served and the capacity of the community access networks are often not known. February

53 Broadband Internet connectivity is very accessible in populated areas in Canada and generally less accessible in rural, remote and isolated areas of the county. This holds true for all populations, First Nation and non-first Nation. The research done as part of this report on connectivity of Ontario s 33 First Nation communities has revealed that 52% have fibre backhaul connectivity or have funded projects under way to install fibre backhaul connectivity. Another 7% have point-to-point radio connectivity. Both these types of connectivity may adequately serve a community s backhaul needs. 23% of communities have T or satellite backhaul connectivity. Though backhaul connectivity requirements depend on the community size and goals, communities served by T and satellite connections are likely underserved and not well positioned for 2 st century applications. Options for improved connectivity to these communities should be explored. The Broadband Toolkit is an excellent starting point for this work. Backhaul connectivity information was unavailable for % of communities and 7% of communities report no permanent dwellings. There is less information available on community access connectivity. 04 communities have DSL, fixed Wireless, Coaxial cable or Fibre to the Home Community Access systems in place. In most cases, it is not known what percentage of the communities the community access systems serve, or the capacity of these systems. Again, individual communities can work through the Broadband Toolkit to identify their connectivity goals, the existing infrastructure in their communities and develop plans to expand connectivity. 8 Data Networks in First Nation Communities in Ontario 8. Overview There are two major elements to the data network, the backhaul or transport infrastructure and the community access network, sometimes referred to as the first mile or last mile as illustrated in Figure : The Data Network. Both Backhaul and Access networks are required to distribute connectivity to data users. Some communities also receive community access service directly from an outside ISP as illustrated in Figure 2. The Backhaul Network is a high speed and capacity network connection that transports data to and from a community s access network to an Internet point of presence. The technology used for the backhaul network may include satellite, point-to-point radio, copper telephone lines, or fibre optic cable. The equipment and data transport path providing the connection may be owned by the community, or more usually, leased from a Service Provider. The Community Access Network distributes connectivity from a community hub or a point of presence to sites within the community. The hub can be a point of presence or a point in a community building from which a signal is re-distributed to other sites within the community. February

54 Internet POP (Fibre Backbone) Backhaul Hub Community Access Residen al Buildings Community Buildings Figure : The Data Network There are variations on the First Nations data network. In some communities, backhaul to the health centre and/or administrative office is provided by Local Area Network (LAN) Extension to K-Net facilities. This office can serve as a hub for re-distribution of connectivity (community access) to other buildings within the community. Some buildings, typically residential, can receive connectivity directly from an ISP based outside the community. This scenario is illustrated in Figure 2: Alternate Community Data Network. Backhaul Internet POP K-Net LAN Extension Hub Community Access Community Buildings Internet Residen al Buildings Figure 2: Alternate Community Data Network In some communities, the network is not community owned and all buildings receive service directly from an outside ISP. February