Blistering fast Internet speeds are coming to the central section of the Town of Brome Lake. It comes through fibre cables that carry data straight to the home or business. It replaces copper wire that has been carrying first voice and then data for more than a century.

By the end of 2017 Internexe will provide fibre-based internet services for most of the urban part of TBL.

“The result will be that our residential service will offer between 5 and 10 times the speed that many urban residential users have now,” said Lee Patterson, Internexe Vice President. “Residential service is also unlimited so the family can be online all the time with no worries about their bill. The residential service also includes phone options and a TV service with a wide range of English language content. Importantly, for attracting and holding new business here in TBL, our unlimited 100 MBS business service offers local business the speed and the pricing that before this could only have been found in major urban centres.”

“The work has been a challenge,” added Patterson, “Our installers tell us that they have never experienced so many delays. In spite of the Telecommunications Act, requiring Bell to share their equipment, Bell has made it impossible for us to use their cabling mounts in key areas of Knowlton, such as along Knowlton Road and in Bondville. Instead, we have had to run cable on the Hydro poles using separate mounts. But we are making progress and we will complete the work.”

What about the rural user? 

“In the Knowlton urban project we have used our own resources. But the rural areas are too expensive. We have submitted proposals to Quebec and to Ottawa for access to the $600 million fund that is there to support the establishment of high speed rural internet.”

What can residents do to help? 

“This is all political,” said Mr Patterson, “the more customers who demand this and the more residents that lobby Quebec and Ottawa, the more chance we have.”