Satellite served First Nations in Northern Manitoba get online via K-Net
Keewatin Tribal Council is working with the remote First Nations across Northern Manitoba to get broadband connections put in place to serve their communities. Funding from Industry Canada's First Nations SchoolNet program and the KTC Regional Management Organization serving First Nation schools across Manitoba was levered with support from Health Canada and INAC to support the construction of satellite earthstations and local wireless networks in ten remote First Nations. Dan Pellerin, K-Net's Network Manager, is now travelling to each of these communities to bring the two 2.4M satellite earthstations in each of these ten First Nations up on the Telesat Public Benefit transponder that is now being shared by the satellite served communities across Northern Ontario and Northern Quebec.
On Thursday of this week, Dan was in Poplar River First Nation where he successfully got that community's connections operating. Tonight he was able to bring Pukatawagan First Nation online. He reported in an e-mail that he is now working on their local wireless network to get the band office, school and health centre online.