THERIAULT WANTS A FIRM DEADLINE FOR THE OVERDUE EASTLINK BROADBAND
Date: Friday January 15, 2010

(Digby, NS) Liberal MLA for Digby-Annapolis Harold “Junior” Theriault wants to know when the provincial government plans on completing the high-speed internet initiative in his riding and the rest of Nova Scotia.

“The people in this area have been waiting long enough for high-speed internet,” said Theriault. “The government promised to have this project completed by December 31, 2009 - that date has come and gone. Residents and businesses here in Digby are left wondering if broadband is coming at all anymore.”

Theriault says after missing the original deadline, neither the NDP nor Eastlink has committed to a new timeline. He believes Nova Scotians are willing to give the company a little more time to implement high-speed, but the problem is no one has any idea how long completion will take.

“Give Nova Scotians who are waiting for this service a firm date and meet the deadline this time - if it’s March 31st, tell us. If it’s July, then we need to know,” explains Theriault. “The uncertainty around the implementation of broadband seems to grow every day and that’s what has a lot of people concerned. We need high speed internet - it is essential for business to compete.”

“It’s something Digby is excited about and I know other parts of the province are too. Right now, we’re all in the same boat, unfortunately - waiting for this government to stand up and be accountable on a new deadline.”

-30-