As part of their lobby to get improved Internet and cell phone services in Inverness County, the group Better Internet for Inverness County wants to make sure it is on the same page as the municipality.
During yesterday’s regular monthly meeting of Inverness Municipal Council in Port Hood, Bill 
Murphy, representing the group, told council that the deadline to apply for the Universal Broadband Fund is January 15 and currently, Develop Nova Scotia and Bell are trying to find out which areas of the municipality remain uncovered.
Now that the communities served by Phase 1 of funding, Inverness and Chéticamp, have most of their infrastructure in place, they need to monitor the prices charged and services provided to customers since Bell has no competition in the area.
Murphy also called for regular meetings between the municipality, the group and representatives of Develop Nova Scotia and Bell. He also wants the municipality to hire a consultant with expertise in the field to advise the group and the municipality, and attend regular meetings to provide insight.
Regarding cell service, Murphy said that goes hand-in-hand with Internet, but that is totally controlled by Bell. He noted that municipalities do have some authority in this area, by building their own towers where they want.
One option on the horizon, Murphy noted, is the Starlink satellite that is about to be launched by SpaceX with the potential to provide service next year. He said this can provide competition for Bell that can stabilize prices.
Chief Administrative Officer Keith MacDonald told the group that the municipality has done a lot of leg work on this file, and they are getting regular updates from Bell about their progress in Inverness County. He said staff are tracking applications from local communities and have met with Cape Breton-Canso MP Mike Kelloway about the matter.
Group member Flo Campbell told council this is about “all” of Inverness County and they want to “unite” under or unserved communities and residents.
Like Campbell, another group member, John MacInnis, said with the looming deadline, there is a need to “push” Bell and Develop Nova Scotia to cover more of the municipality.