Pictou County’s rural residents left waiting on municipal internet project

Shaun Henderson is tired of waiting around for the municipality’s internet project.

Henderson lives on Campbell Hill in rural Pictou County. Only six or seven other families live on his unpaved street, just outside of Scotsburn.

While he currently has internet in his home, he compared the quality to that of dial-up, and the wait for something better has been frustrating.

“We’ve been holding out for it with hopes that they’ll get it here soon, but I’m not sure how or when that’s going to happen,” he said.

It’s been six years since the Municipality of Pictou County announced its rural internet project. This came after residents voiced concerns about internet quality during the 2016 municipal election.

The municipality’s internet project offers considerably better internet speed than Henderson currently has for a similar price. However, according to the estimated construction timeline map, Henderson will be waiting until early 2024.

One reason Henderson would like to see better service in his area is so he can utilize Wi-Fi calling, which requires faster internet speeds than what he currently has. With weak cell service in his area, he is reliant on his landline phone.

“We’ve had nothing but trouble with our home phone for the past five years,” Henderson said. “Every time we get a major rainstorm, it stops working.”

Better internet in their home would also help Henderson’s wife, Tanya, who is currently enrolled in an early childhood education program. When she attends online classes at night, Henderson cannot use streaming services without interfering with his wife’s schoolwork.

While Henderson said he believes the county’s project is a wonderful idea, he wishes his area was prioritized sooner.

“Why wouldn’t you start with the people that don’t have it, as opposed to starting with the people that already have several options that they can use?”

Connecting the county

As of now, fibre lines extend from the municipal building in Pictou to Mount Thom, providing service through Lyons Brook, Durham and Central West River. Crews recently completed work to bring the service to the Loch Broom Loop and Alma area.

“The open access model we have employed is working very well, and as a result, Pictou County residents are benefitting from really low-priced fibre internet plans and other value-added services,” said Scott Hewey, the broadband systems manager with the municipality.

This summer, crews will be working to extend the fibre cables up Highway 6 to River John. From there, it will provide high-speed internet to areas like Caribou Island, Waterside and Three Brooks.

“Marketing and mailouts are planned from our internet service providers that use the county’s fibre network. Individuals or businesses can also visit our website (marketplace.munpict.ca) to check their address for availability and to sign up.”

Work is also ongoing with the county’s wireless project which will provide coverage in most areas of the county.

“Commissioning and acceptance testing is in the final stages for 16 towers, with the last one not far behind,” Hewey said. “Now is the time to sign up for service.”

The county is offering wireless internet for $49.99 a month plus tax.

The satellite solution

The province expanded the Satellite Internet Service Rebate program in August 2022 to residents and business owners who were not expected to gain access to wired or wireless internet until 2024.

The rebate program allows residents in rural areas to claim up to $1,000 for the initial hardware cost.

Henderson has considered the satellite internet service Starlink, but it is $90 more per month than he currently pays.

Heather MacDonald was one resident who took advantage of the provincial rebate. Where MacDonald lives in Springville, she was lucky to get 10 Mbps download speed with her previous internet provider. Now with Starlink, she gets over 100 Mbps.

“I live in a dead zone for cell reception, internet and cable providers,” MacDonald said. “When you have more than one person in a household that needs to consistently use the internet for work or entertainment and the internet is so weak, only one person can use it at a time.”

Like Henderson, MacDonald was sick of waiting for the municipal internet project, which isn’t available in her area until early 2026.

“Waiting just wasn’t an option when almost everything is based online nowadays. Even if the rebate wasn’t available, I would have eventually gone with Starlink, anyway.”