Katy Parsons

Seventy-two thousand homes across Nova Scotia are still without access to high-speed&nbsp;

, says a new report prepared for the province that offers a road map&nbsp;to connect&nbsp;underserved&nbsp;and&nbsp;unserved homes across the province.

, developed&nbsp;by&nbsp;a consulting firm hired by the province,&nbsp;follows on the heels&nbsp;of a funding announcement the premier made in&nbsp;March to spend $120 million so people in&nbsp;rural parts of Nova Scotia have access to high-speed&nbsp;internet.

Province to spend $120M on rural high-speed internet, but access won't be 100%

The Nova Scotia government is spending $120 million so people in rural parts of the province have access to high-speed internet, but that won't be enough to get access to everyone.

The CRTC has set benchmarks of 50 megabits per second download speeds, and 10 megabits per second upload speeds. 

internet LAN cables

Premier Stephen McNeil says the $120-million trust should trigger investment from the private sector and federal government.

The plan is for 95 per cent of Nova Scotians&nbsp;to have wired or wireless access within five years, while the remaining five per cent of homes, the most remote in the province, will get&nbsp;internet&nbsp;via&nbsp;satellite technology.

The plan says there will need to be about 55 wireless tower sites set up, and about 8,900 kilometres of cable laid.

People in rural communities have complained for years about slow, spotty or non-existent internet&nbsp;access. Many say it has hampered business opportunities in small communities and hurt the education of students.

In 2006, rural residents cheered when the Progressive Conservative government, under then premier Rodney&nbsp;

, no matter where they live, will have 100 per cent coverage."

Not only did that not happen, but 12 years after the promise was made, fast, reliable connectivity provincewide is still far from being achieved, said Geoff MacLellan, the minister of business.

Former Nova Scotia premier Rodney MacDonald says he was not lobbying when he contacted provincial politicians about a proposed golf course for West Mabou Beach Provincial Park.

Rodney MacDonald

"We're not there yet.&nbsp;We've gotten nowhere. We've been inching along," he told&nbsp;

MacLellan said it's been an eye-opener to see how many people are impacted by this issue.

Want high-speed internet? Build it yourself, like these villagers

Co-op in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley now providing wireless broadband service using dishes and towers.

Co-op members have installed two 27-metre towers and a third in coming in the next few months.

cooperative broadband wireless internet tower Annapolis Valley

Co-op members need to install dishes on their homes in order to take advantage of the new service.

Dish for internet cooperative Annapolis Valley

High-speed internet a 'basic right,' says premier as connection projects announced

The Nova Scotia government will spend $1.4 million to connect 5,400 homes and 420 businesses to high-speed internet in the next six months.

Telus will invest $1 billion over the next five years to improve the speed and capacity of Vancouver's Internet network.

Telus Vancouver investment

Anthony Organ of Sweetland, N.S., takes the podium at an announcement by the province that it will spend $1.4 million to connect 5,400 homes to high-speed internet.

Anthony Organ

government officials announced a&nbsp;$26.4-million

&nbsp;plan, most of it federally&nbsp;funded, to bring high-speed&nbsp;

&nbsp;access to 64 rural and remote&nbsp;communities in Nova Scotia.

MacLellan&nbsp;said the cost to&nbsp;ensure that all Nova&nbsp;

&nbsp;is estimated at $300 to 500&nbsp;million.

Business Minister Geoff MacLellan says businesses, health care and education are negatively affected by the lack of high-speed internet in parts of Nova Scotia.

72,000 Nova Scotia homes can't access high-speed internet

Long-standing complaints

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