Broadband service has arrived on Pelee Island. Residents say it means opportunities for work, entertainment

Some residents of Pelee Island have been connected to broadband for the first time this month after crews laid a fibre optic connection to the mainland in September.

The connection, funded with nearly $20 million from the federal government's Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) brings speeds of up to 1,000 megabytes per second to the island, where residents previously relied on satellite internet or on service delivered via the island's spotty cellular network.

"It reminds me of the stories our elders have told us about when the hydro came in the early 1950s," said Michelle Feltz, the Township of Pelee's treasurer. 

"Working remotely at home if I needed to VPN – it was almost impossible before with the slow speed I had at home, and now it's very possible."

Feltz's family has also taken advantage of the improved access to entertainment options by signing up for more streaming services, she added.

"My husband has watched some series that he's put off watching," she said. 

"I really like having access to the news. That's been exciting. I can access more news and not have to worry about going over my limits." 

Mayor Cathy Miller said the stay-at-home orders issued as part of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the problems with unreliable internet service, as people struggled to do their banking online, and children went to extremes to attend classes via video conferencing.

"If they did not have internet in their homes, they had to sit in the parking lot of the school," she said. "That's absurd marginalization, and it's inequitable."

Miller previously had internet access via satellite at a cost of approximately $150 per month and around $700 in set-up costs, she said. Now, she's paying about $30 less for better service. 

Before that, her internet service relied on a cellular network that didn't even have coverage at her home, so she would have to drive to her cottage on the west side of the island to make calls and send emails. 

That made the logistics of running her small business "ridiculous," she said.

"People .. would e-mail in at, you know, 9 a.m.," she said. "So then I get another e-mail at 11 a.m. 'Did you get my e-mail? Are you responding? Is anyone there?' Then at 4. 'Did you get my e-mail?'"

Miller echoed Feltz's excitement about access to news coverage and said she is eager to share more news about the community over social media. 

She's also relieved that people will have more ways to communicate with emergency services, she said. 

"This is keeping us on an equal footing with all of our peers on the mainland," Miller said.

"I don't have buffering, and I don't have obstructions because of my trees and all of these kinds of things. … Everyone's going to have a different experience. My experience right now is just fabulous, and I'm happy about it."