New Conference Will Help Bridge the Digital Divide

NORTH BAY, Ontario, Aug. 15, 2019 — Delivering broadband to rural and remote regions in Canada faces unique, complex challenges as compared to broadband deployments in urban settings.And since the majority of telecom conferences (also held mostly in big cities) normally try to address all of those issues in perhaps a single session, a brand new conference intends to dedicate itself entirely to the challenges faced by communities, carriers, vendors, government and consumers when it comes to rural broadband.

The first annual Canadian Rural and Remote Broadband Conference will take place this November 12-14 in beautiful North Bay, Ontario and will provide a tremendous information sharing forum for community leaders, rural advocates, service providers and government.

This summit will provide a unique opportunity for stakeholders to come together and share their knowledge, experiences, lessons learned and advice via a gathering focused on the challenges and realities of creating a sustainable and ubiquitous digital economy for the rural and remote regions of our country.

The agenda, available here, is focused on educating and informing community leaders and related stakeholders about the challenges and options surrounding the implementation of broadband solutions in their regions and the evolving technological landscape, specifically in rural and remote areas.

“I want this conference to set the tone for broader collaboration across all stakeholders – communities, regions, service providers, vendors and all levels of government across the country,” said Amedeo Bernardi, the conference organizer.

Amedeo has a long history in rural connectivity himself having spent many years in wired and wireless communications across Canada working for the likes of Clearnet, Bell Mobility, Ontera, and Bruce Telecom. He knows the rural broadband challenges, partnering with his clients to improve connectivity to their rural and remote homes and businesses every day.

“As it states in the Competition Bureau’s recent study on the Canadian broadband market, ‘There is a significant difference between broadband internet options available to consumers in the more densely populated areas of Canada and those in more rural and remote settings. In the more sparsely populated parts of the country, where companies are less likely to earn a comparable level of revenues to repay their investments, it is difficult for a company to justify making the very large investments necessary to provide modern networks. The real world effect of this is that networks in rural and remote areas are generally slower, and served by fewer companies, than those in more urban areas’,” says Bernardi.

“We are excited to support Amedeo and be a Founding Sponsor of the first annual Canadian Rural and Remote Broadband Conference,” said Alan Lieff, Vice President, Americas International for Calix. “Rural broadband is an established passion of ours, and supporting this conference is just another way we are working to bridge the digital divide. Calix has helped connect more than 150 previously underserved communities in North America by partnering with nontraditional service providers such as Municipalities and Electric Utilities as they step up to ensure their communities will not be left behind. We applaud Amedeo and his mission to see to it that all Canadians have access to broadband, regardless of their proximity to a major city. Calix has seen so many successful Municipal networks and the benefits they bring to their residents that we are excited to share our experience with attendees of this conference.”

This conference will be essential for anyone who wants to better understand rural and remote broadband challenges, engage with other stakeholders to learn about their experiences, and explore the options to collaborate so to deliver effective solutions.

The forum will be held at the North Bay Best Western Hotel and Conference Centre beginning with a welcome reception on Tuesday, November 12, followed by two days of information sharing. Please click here for registration packages and details. Early Bird registration is available for Public Sector and Community Leaders until September 30^th.

For more information, or if you wish to be a sponsor of this important event, please contact Amedeo Bernardi at amedeo@amedeobernardi.ca.