Local Communities and Home Rule: Extending the Alberta SuperNet to Unserved Areas

Abstract

The Alberta SuperNet’s design strategy included fiber optic build-outs only to points of presence in cities, towns and villages.  This strategy created a crucial role for local business and community involvement in providing high-speed internet service in rural areas. A paucity of private providers led individuals and communities to develop micro solutions to obtain broadband. Using the concept of home rule as a theoretical lens, this article chronicles and analyzes three approaches taken by individuals, communities, and businesses to illustrate the successes and weaknesses of both the local decisions and the Alberta government’s approaches.