From the First Mile to Outer Space: Tamaani Satellite Internet in Northern Quebec

Across Canada, discrepancies of access to broadband exist between urban centres and rural and remote Aboriginal communities. Government, public and private sector organizations are partnering to address these digital divides. Some employ a ‘First Mile’ approach that foregrounds how community-based i...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: McMahon, Rob, Mangiok, Thomassie
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: University of Waterloo Library 2013
Subjects:
First Mile
Aboriginal broadband
Inuit broadband
indigenous broadband
broadband infrastructure
Nunavik
Kativik Regional Government
rural and remote access
inuit
Online Access:https://openjournals.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/JoCI/article/view/2725
https://doi.org/10.15353/joci.v10i2.2725
Description
Summary:Across Canada, discrepancies of access to broadband exist between urban centres and rural and remote Aboriginal communities. Government, public and private sector organizations are partnering to address these digital divides. Some employ a ‘First Mile’ approach that foregrounds how community-based institutions are driving development. This article provides a First Mile case study from the Inuit territory of Nunavik. We describe the cultural, social and political contexts the people of Nunavik and their government navigated to establish broadband in the region’s 14 northern villages. The Kativik Regional Government is building and administering infrastructure that delivers public services and encourages economic development, balancing centralized efficiencies with the needs of residents in villages like Ivujivik.

Similar Items