'We're going back into the past': Coastal Labrador stuck with slow internet

Charlie Flowers's mother keeps in contact with her daughter who lives a country away by Facetime or Skype, but a cutback in download speeds has left Flowers and others along the coast of Labrador unable to stream any video.

Bell Aliant has reduced download speeds from up to 1.5 MB to up to 256 KB, to allow for the telecommunications company to "manage our network and provide a more consistent Internet service."

The reduced speeds means customers are stuck online for longer periods of time and, Flowers told Labrador Morning, streaming video is now out of the question. 

We're not going to be able to have that face-to-face interaction on the screen with my nephew and that's not good.- Charlie Flowers

"Doing a Google search is really slowed down even," said Flowers who lives in Rigolet. 

"If you have a web page with photos on there, it takes a long time for all those photos to actually download to your web browser."

Flowers said it's not unusual for internet speeds to slow once every two weeks, but last week he noticed the sluggish service lasted for days. 

Going back in time

"I want the speeds that I signed up for. I don't mind paying the extra $10 to have the speeds I signed up for," he said.

"What we're getting now is 256 KB and that's like dial-up speed. We're going back into the past it seems like."

Bell Aliant, the only service provider for the north and south coasts, said it's crediting customers $10 on their bills due to the slow internet speeds.

"Since implementing the change we have seen a reduction in congestion levels in all communities," said spokesperson Mark Duggan.

"While this measure is in place, we continue to explore infrastructure investments with the federal and provincial governments for a long-term solution."

Flowers hopes the long-term solution comes sooner rather than later, as the internet crunch puts a wrench in his family's communication. 

"We're not going to be able to have that face-to-face interaction on the screen with my nephew and that's not good."