- What is broadband?
- What can Nelson Broadband do for me?
- What has been done to date on The Nelson Broadband Project?
- What is the Nelson and Area Economic Development Partnership (NAEDP) and what is its mandate?
- What are the benefits of bringing commercial broadband to Nelson?
- How will broadband help expand existing local businesses?
- How will broadband attract new employers to Nelson?
- How fast is broadband?
- Does connecting to broadband automatically guarantee high speeds throughout the internet channel that business owners use to send information?
- Where exactly is the new broadband zone?
- Can Nelson residents have broadband service?
- What does it cost to have broadband service?
- Who provides the broadband connection?
- Who provides add-on services?
- What types of services will be available?
- When will broadband be available?
- How does the City decide who to connect first? Who gets priority?
- What are the next steps in the broadband project?
What is broadband?
Broadband is a wide band of electromagnetic frequencies that dramatically increases the capacity and speed of internet traffic. The City of Nelson’s broadband infrastructure is a network of fibre-optic (glass) cables that exponentially faster than a conventional network.
What can Nelson Broadband do for me?
Its super-high capacity and speed allow you to:
- send large data easily: video, images and audio files
- move large electronic files quickly to clients and between branch offices
- accommodate internet traffic at peak times without decreasing speed
- use reliable, high-resolution video-conferencing instead of travelling out of town for meetings and training
What has been done to date on The Nelson Broadband Project?
The Nelson and Area Economic Development Partnership (NAEDP) has:
- Researched broadband models used by several similar communities to determine the method that would suit Nelson best
- Gathered information on the IT needs of the local business community through focus groups and surveys
- Actively coaching businesses through Community Futures
What is the Nelson and Area Economic Development Partnership (NAEDP) and what is its mandate?
The Nelson and Area Economic Development Partnership is a partnership composed of several local organizations: the City of Nelson, the Nelson & District Chamber of Commerce, Community Futures and the Regional District of the Central Kootenay (Areas E and F). The NAEDP collaborates in pursuit of local and community economic development in and around Nelson.
What are the benefits of bringing commercial broadband to Nelson?
Providing state-of-the-art information technology infrastructure will stimulate community economic development by attracting new employers to Nelson and by helping existing businesses expand and increase efficiencies.
How will broadband help expand existing local businesses?
Increasingly, many types of businesses benefit from access to high-capacity internet to satisfy their customers and to compete in the digital age. For example:
- Film industry production houses and other digital design businesses will be able to send huge files to remote clients.
- Hospitality businesses can offer high-speed access to many guests simultaneously – to download movies and to do business on the internet.
How will broadband attract new employers to Nelson?
Positioned as a wired community, Nelson could entice entrepreneurs and high caliber talent to telework from the Kootenays. Superfast broadband could attract data storage and back up centres to serve businesses outside the area.
Does connecting to broadband automatically guarantee high speeds throughout the internet channel that business owners use to send information?
No, internet speed depends upon a host of factors including wireless service used by the business, customer/supplier networks and the add-on services purchased from local internet service providers (ISPs) . Before purchasing broadband, consult with local internet service providers to ensure that add-on services meet needs and expectations.
Where exactly is the new broadband zone?
The fibre-optic network is situated primarily in the downtown core. See a map here (PDF file).
Can Nelson residents have broadband service?
At this time, broadband will only be available to businesses with a Nelson business license.
What does it cost to have broadband service?
- Connection Construction fee – connection fees vary depending on the availability of fibre nearest the business. The average construction cost is $800.
- Monthly Fees – The City charges a monthly fee – $50 per month is typical – for use of the dark fibre infrastructure.
- Add-on Services fee – local internet service providers charge a monthly fee for add-on services. Details are available from Service Providers.
Who provides the broadband connection?
The City of Nelson uses fibre-optic cable to physically connect business locations to the actual broadband network. This is a one-time event.
Who provides add-on services?
Local internet service providers offer add-on services to businesses, such as internet access and data back up.
How does the City decide who to connect first? Who gets priority?
The City will do its best to connect clients as quickly as possible on a first come, first served basis. Proximity to the existing fibre-optic network and complexity of the installation will impact connection timelines.
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What are the next steps in the broadband project?
Community Futures will offer workshops to help local entrepreneurs and business owners learn how their businesses can benefit from broadband. Helping local business take advantage of Nelson’s broadband network and mature its full potential is a top priority. Contact CF for workshop details.
Nelson Broadband Project 