Indigenous legal advocates in northwestern Ontario are sounding the alarm over the Ontario government’s cancellation of its contract with Starlink, citing concerns with people’s access to legal services in remote First Nations.

Last month, Premier Doug Ford announced he’d be ripping up the $100-million deal with Elon Musk’s internet provider, as a retaliatory measure in the ongoing Canada-U.S. trade war.

But in northwestern Ontario, this means the end of the Starlink-Navigator Program delivered by Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services Corporation (NALSC), which “permitted community members, who often do not have access to internet, or reliable internet, an opportunity to participate in virtual courts.”

  • Mugmoor@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    6 days ago

    Wired isn’t an option. ISP’s no longer 56k service over phone, nor Broadband DSL.

    Fibre requires a main trunk line nearby, which are typically routed through cell towers. No cell tower, no fibre or cable service.

    • Dearche@lemmy.ca
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      5 days ago

      Do you have electricity? That probably means you have poles erected for your area. Fibre can be installed onto those same poles, and it’s the ISPs’ job to ensure as complete coverage as possible.

      Like I said before, this is specific to Bell Fibe, not 56k modems. In the first place, DSL is still more than good enough for such a purpose, or do you not remember the early days of streaming where pretty much nobody had fiber optics and had to run dedicated cable or DSL that piggybacked on regular phone lines?

      • Mugmoor@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        4 days ago

        Lol tell the ISPs to do their job then. As I already stated earlier, Fibre and DSL are not available in quite a few areas. It isn’t as simple as you think.

        • Dearche@lemmy.ca
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          4 days ago

          Isn’t the the sort of thing you’re supposed to complain to the CRTC if the providers refuse to deliver their services within the city? You said you’re in the GTA, right? So it’s well within their official coverage range.

          And even if not, cell coverage according to their maps, extend to almost the whole of Southern Ontario. Together with a decent plan, you could piggyback on that (though I suppose speed would vary on location).