Forty households in LutselkSA国际影视传媒檈 are getting a Starlink hook up thanks to a grant accessed by the Native WomenSA国际影视传媒檚 Association of the NWT.

Executive director Brenda Norris told Inuvik Drum she had secured a grant of $7 million to connect residents to the satellite service at a rate of $400 million per year.

SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e doing a bit more for the communities that will probably never see fibre optic,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淲e really want to see what a different it would make to have high speed Internet.

SA国际影视传媒淲e want to blanket the community, so we wanted to get as many of the units as we can.SA国际影视传媒�

Norris added thereSA国际影视传媒檚 enough funding to cover connection fees SA国际影视传媒� $140 a month according to StarlinkSA国际影视传媒檚 website SA国际影视传媒� for residents until 2026. Native WomenSA国际影视传媒檚 Association is also purchasing the satellite dishes.

As to what happens after 2026, Norris said plans were still in the works.

SA国际影视传媒淚 believe the communities should not have to pay for this,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淢ost of the people in these communities are on income assistance, they donSA国际影视传媒檛 make a lot of money anyway, but they are the ears and eyes of the North.

SA国际影视传媒淭hereSA国际影视传媒檚 a lot of kids in the community that are really smart. I really believe we an create work by teaching kids these things. With a high speed connection, you can work from anywhere in the world. You could be a cybersecurity person in San Francisco or Australia and stay in your community. It doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 have to always been about resource extraction. Kids could be creating games and apps and selling them online.

SA国际影视传媒淭hatSA国际影视传媒檚 my goal. I really want to see communities have a way to create their own income.SA国际影视传媒�

Currently in LutselkSA国际影视传媒檈, internet is so slow Norris said it can take up to two-hours to complete a money transfer.

As a consequence, artists have difficulty selling their products online, people are unable to access remote services available elsewhere in the territory and the community has been effectively left behind.

SA国际影视传媒淭he GNWT does a lot of videos and online stuff for mental health,SA国际影视传媒� said Norris. SA国际影视传媒淐ommunities like LutselkSA国际影视传媒檈 donSA国际影视传媒檛 have access to that. They canSA国际影视传媒檛 stream videos. All this counselling is online but it doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 do anyone in LutselkSA国际影视传媒檈 any good, they donSA国际影视传媒檛 have any access to it. When they put a call out for something, no one in LutselkSA国际影视传媒檈 will know.

SA国际影视传媒淭he Minister of Public Safety for Canada went there with his staff and I warned them it would be slow. His staff came back to me and said SA国际影视传媒榟oly cow, I didnSA国际影视传媒檛 realize it could be so bad.SA国际影视传媒橲A国际影视传媒�

Safety factor

High-speed connection could do a lot for the community, said Norris. When the system is in place, she said residents will be able to access important services including online counselling, distance education and online markets. Collaboration on cultural preservation, including language, storytelling and traditional knowledge could benefit from high connectivity as well.

Another big reason the Native WomenSA国际影视传媒檚 Association is pushing this, she added, was to provide women in smaller communities with information on how to keep safe.

SA国际影视传媒淲e do quite a bit of work around Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淭hatSA国际影视传媒檚 another reason we want this - it allows women in these communities to go online and get help.

SA国际影视传媒淩ight now, if thereSA国际影视传媒檚 a woman in danger in the community, if the person whose her victim services worker in the community is a brother or cousin of her partner, sheSA国际影视传媒檚 not going to call that. ThereSA国际影视传媒檚 a whole lot of ways Indigenous women in small communities are stuck and have no way out. So I think itSA国际影视传媒檚 really important to make sure thatSA国际影视传媒檚 available for women.SA国际影视传媒�

She said she hoped to have most of the community connected by the end of September. Along with the installation will be a study with the University of Alberta to measure the speed and how the changes affect the community. Members of the community have been hired to conduct a survey on the quality of internet both before and after the installation. Installation is to be done by local workers wherever possible.

Norris added she was working to bring in information packages to provide education on potential dangers with higher speed internet, such as online gambling, political misinformation, romance scams and access to adult material like pornography. She also wants to bring in programs to help educate youth with modern technology.

But sheSA国际影视传媒檚 not stopping there. Norris said the next community on her list to connect to Starlink is Paulatuk, then Colville Lake, Wekwe猫t矛 and Trout Lake SA国际影视传媒� all the communities currently relying on the Anik F2 satellite for broadband communications. That satellite is due to shut down operations this winter. Communities that are connected to fibre optic will be offered between eight to 10 to get started.

SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e trying to get all the communities that are on Anik first and get as many units in those communities as possible,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淢y goal is to get these out into the communities and get it going and letSA国际影视传媒檚 see what happens. LetSA国际影视传媒檚 see if the economy changes when people have high speed internet.

SA国际影视传媒淟etSA国际影视传媒檚 get this done.SA国际影视传媒�