Thank you, Mr. Speaker. An important decision has been made about phone services in the Northwest Territories. The Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission has decided to allow local competition. I hope this will result in better and more services in our smaller communities.
For example, Fort Providence is in a pivotal location on our highway system but we have no cell phone service. Apparently it would not make a huge investment. A couple of years ago there was an estimate that it would cost $6 million to erect cell towers in all 25 communities lacking cell phone service.
Expanding cell phone service is not just a business opportunity, it is a crucial piece of infrastructure for other businesses and our economy in general. In most of Canada cell service is considered a necessity. At the very least it is a key convenience and a safety feature.
Those of us who live in small communities don’t want the future to pass us by. It is high time that companies serving our communities invest in the future. Let’s step beyond projects with fast three-year paybacks. This attitude is holding up our growth.
It may be that big companies don’t think much about opportunities in our smaller communities, but I hope that this government will help change that and offer some assistance when it is the right thing to do. Competition in the northern telephone business is a step in the right direction.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
