By Alice McFarlane

Survey says rural connectivity inadequate

Jun 19, 2020 | 12:46 PM

Rural residents say the lack of decent telecommunication service is frustrating, costly and in some cases dangerous.

The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) conducted a survey on cell service and rural Internet from May to December 2019, and found a high level of disruption and dissatisfaction in rural communities.

APAS President Todd Lewis said reliable coverage is critical for rural communities to support businesses, students, health services, and overall quality of life.

For Internet service, 75 per cent of respondents reported dissatisfaction. There was a slight difference with mobile service levels but still 63 per cent were not happy.

Lewis said this creates a disadvantage and warns rural residents will be left behind.

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“The bandwidth just isn’t there and entire systems are slowing down, and people weren’t able to get online,” Lewis said. “There are examples of people using their cellphone as a hot spot and the overcharges on that. It’s a difficult time and COVID has shone a light on just how poor a lot of the connectivity is in rural Saskatchewan.”

Participants were concerned about the risks associated with farm labour and the ability to get help should a serious accident arise. Comments also raised concerns about being able to receive emergency alerts and their ability to call emergency services when wildfires and other disasters occur.

Lewis said the survey showed only two per cent of respondents reported never having experienced a cell service disruption.

“It’s not only the difference between making and losing money. If I get stuck out in the field and I can’t call for help, it can be a potentially dangerous situation,” Lewis said.

Respondents were asked about the reliability of their service connection. For Internet service, 62 per cent reported having experienced some form of service disruption at least once a day, while 31 per cent reported multiple daily disruptions. Only four per cent reported never having experienced a service disruption. Cellphone users also had problems with 65 per cent having a disruption at least once daily.

Lewis said another example is new farm equipment has diagnostics built in with connectivity straight to the dealership.

“If you can’t connect to the Internet it’s going to cost you a service call to have someone come out to the farm to do a diagnosis,” he said.

Lewis said good service is no longer a convenience but a necessity.

More than 500 rural residents responded to the survey.

APAS will be conducting a follow-up survey to determine how COVID-19 is affecting the agriculture sector. Saskatchewan residents living on farms, First Nations, and in small towns are asked to share their experiences with rural cellphone and Internet service.

The survey can be found at apas.ca/survey.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF