b'CONNECTIVITYArrow Technology Groups installation of fiber cable in Alberta represents one of the countrys largest projects connecting Indigenous communities to high-speed internetTackling theA ccess to reliable internet means more than social media and streaming services. In a post-COVID world, access to the internet is a vital part of participating in the world economy and accessing health care DIGITALand education. Yet while almost 99 per cent of urban households across Canada have access to broadband, only 46 per cent of rural households and 35 per cent of households on First Nations have access. And DIVIDE that access can be spotty: internet speeds over 50 megabits per second (Mbps) are often just a far-off dream for inhabitants of isolated communities, many of them Indigenous. The disparity between large urban centres and small rural communities is so profound, it even has its own monikerthe Connectivity Gap. By Gavin John Fortunately, however, things are slowly changing as a number of initiatives led by local governments and Indigenous commu-C o n n e c t i n g t h e c o u n t r y snities are starting to deliver viable solutions tonarrow that gap. I n d i g e n o u s c o m m u n i t i e sOne of these initiatives involves connecting six Indigenous t o h i g h - s p e e d i n t e r n e tcommunities in B.C. to high-speed internet. With support from the Connecting British Columbia funding program, construc-i s i m p e r a t i v e f o r t h e mtion of a fiber-to-the-home project is taking place in the coastal province that will connect the six communities to high-speed t o r e a p t h e r e w a r d s o fbroadband by 2027. e - c o m m e r c e The Indigenous communities targeted include the Sqw (Skwah) First Nations Skwah 4 and Skwali 3; Cooks Ferry Indian 68A CCAB PUBLICATION2023'