Eastlink breaks promise to Rural Nova Scotia - no broadband till next year

The promise : "100& coverage for all of Nova Scotia by end of 2009"

The new promise: "By the end of December 2009; 80 of the 105 sites will be constructed and 29 of those towers will be "in service". "
from http://www.eastlink.ca/internet/ruralwireless/index.asp

So the truth is, only 30% "will be in service" by end of 2009. How do they expect us to believe that the other 70% will be up and running in 3 months or less when it took them 2 years to get just 30% (actually much less) up and running by now?

Who holds this massive corporation accountable? The new NDP Government? Its our tax dollars that they took to get this system into place. Normally when a contractor fails to deliver on time, there are penalties. My suggestion is this:

Eastlink pays to set up all rural Nova Scotians in zones 5 and 6 with highspeed satellight internet EQUIVALENT to their land based service which currently costs $300 per month per subscriber. This, plus set up and equipment, is what Eastlink should be on the hook to set up for all Rural Nova Scotians until they can get this less expensive system up and running.

This is the minimum. I would say penalties beyond that would include a class action suit on behalf of the population of Rural Nova Scotia against the company paying all costs associated with not having access to high speed internet might also be on the table.

That could amount to billions of dollars, so Eastlink needs to get their butt in gear. If they couldnt deliver, they shouldnt have committed to end of 2009 and the government should have awarded the contract to someone who had the skills and ability to make it happen.

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Comment by ryan cameron on January 18, 2010 at 4:14pm: an article on the southshorenow.ca has been brought to my attention...
http://southshorenow.ca/archives/2010/011910/news/index030.php

this is the first Ive heard of something in the Chester area and as of now (4:13 1/18/2010) there appears to be no mention of this tower on Eastlink's broadband page.

http://www.eastlink.ca/internet/ruralwireless/index.asp

thanks to Adam Jacobs at southshorenow.ca for the update.

Comment by Terri O'Brien on December 26, 2009 at 6:59pm: They don't even give me an estimated date for this service. They should be held accountable, they out right lied and there are no consequences. I want high speed and am sick of waiting. I moved here from BC and hate hate hate dial up. Eastlink you suck.

Comment by Carolyn on December 3, 2009 at 12:24pm: Logged onto Eastlink this morning to see that our fall prediction for our broadband connection has now been moved to March 2010- most disheartened.... really was hoping to have access to broadband this winter so I could work from home on days when I am snowed in or it is very dangerous to be driving...

They should be held accountable in someway...

I think we all knew that they wouldn't deliver on time anyway but still hoped....

Hmmpfff