Cell towers are being built in the South Cariboo, and new funding announced by the federal government should help connect Cariboo residents.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced today more federal funding to connect more Canadians through broadband internet service. $1.75 billion will be invested in a broadband fund to connect Canadians to the internet. Trudeau says “good reliable internet isn’t a luxury, it’s a basic service.”
Cariboo Regional District Chair Margo Wagner says anything the federal or provincial government can do is helpful. “Towers are not cheap to put up,” Wagner says, “especially when we’re dealing with the topography that we deal with in the South Cariboo and the Cariboo Regional District.”
Service in some rural areas of the South Cariboo has been unreliable, and even non-existent in some areas. Cell towers are being built in the South Cariboo, one has already been constructed near Forest Grove, northeast of 100 Mile House. Even with the new tower, some residents are not receiving good service. Wagner says she is working with internet providers to improve service in the area.