By Alice McFarlane

Saskatchewan farm groups launch internet speed test

Nov 13, 2020 | 10:12 AM

MELFORT, Sask. – Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) is challenging rural residents to test their internet speed.

APAS said the test gives people living anywhere in Saskatchewan the chance to test their internet speeds against what their internet contracts promise.

The project is a partnership between APAS and the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), which works to improve the safety and accessibility of the internet for Canadians.

The APAS Internet Speed Test is the first such partnership between CIRA and a Saskatchewan organization. The data collected will help establish a baseline for internet service levels in the province.

The APAS Rural Connectivity Task Force was launched in September. It is meeting with industry experts and service providers to find out why connectivity is still so bad in rural Saskatchewan, plus identify ways to fix the problem.

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Task Force chair Jeremy Welter said APAS hopes the research will help ensure that the federal government’s enhanced Universal Broadband Fund supports projects in the areas that need it most.

“The investment in the Universal Broadband Fund is an important step, and our Internet Speed Test is a great complement to it,” Welter said in a news release. “This Speed Test lets us put numbers to people’s experiences and see what internet service levels look like in specific areas around the province.”

The test only takes a minute to complete, gives the user detailed information about their download and upload speeds. Speeds that meet the CRTC’s service standards for Canadian internet are given a blue dot on the Saskatchewan map, while substandard internet is marked in red.

Welter said not only does it give a picture of internet speed across the province, but it also gives people an exact picture of their own internet.

“They can compare their speed to what their contract promises and let their service provider know if they’re not getting the speeds they’re paying for,” Welter said.

APAS wants all rural Saskatchewan residents whether they live on farms, in towns and villages, and on First Nations, to complete the Internet Speed Test. The data will help APAS understand actual internet service levels in the province and advocate for improvements.

The Task Force will release its findings in early 2021.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF