Recently I have been noticing some articles and ads with City of Salmon Arm and Economic Development logos joined with Telus logos that are causing me concern.
I do not understand why the city and ec-dev are touting the benefits of Telus fibre optics coming to town and favouring an out-of-town company over local companies that offer comparable services. The Telus fibre optics are not going out to the reserve or outlying neighbourhoods without broadband services, so they are not servicing any areas that are not already well-served by local companies. Will Telus contribute to our local economy the way Shaw (previously SunCountry Cable) and the other smaller local telecommunication companies do? Shaw contributes to many local initiatives, most notably the Shaw Centre. Additionally, Shaw Cable, Mascon Cable, Airspeed Wireless, and several other local companies have offices in town, employ many local residents, and contribute in numerous ways to our local economy.
As far as I know Telus has no local office and employs only three full-time employees. Is this what we want for Salmon Arm?
Do our local officials know enough about the Internet infrastructure and services already in place to determine that Telus will offer some better service to us? Do they know Sun Country Cable placed fibre throughout Salmon Arm years ago? Have they done their due diligence regarding who contributes most to our community?
As a retired businessman I understand the benefit and importance of competition, but how does it benefit our community, or local businesses, for our local leaders to stand behind out-of-towners over local businesses that have been operating in the area for over 35 years?
Ian Mackay
