A $5-million investment by Telus will deliver high-speed internet to the bulk of Pemberton residents.
In a press release on Tuesday, July 24, the Village of Pemberton announced that Telus would make the investment to connect more than 90 per cent of residents to its fibre-optic network.
"For us, what's most important is that we have now both Shaw and Telus providing service and fibre to the community," said Pemberton Mayor Mike Richman.
"We now have a competitive market and we'll have more capacity. It's good news all around."
In March, Shaw Communications announcement that it will build a fibre-optic cable between Whistler and Cache Creek.
There will be no additional cost to the Village's tax base, explained Richman.
That's thanks to a group of Pemberton developers who be kicking in $250,000 to make up for a funding shortfall.
"We facilitated a conversation between developers and Telus, and developers invested their own money to make up the shortfall for Telus," said Richman.
Under the plan, Telus will aim to hook up all new development in the Village within the year and the remainder of homes and businesses by the end of 2019.
Stephen Duke of Alture Properties was one of the developers to contribute to the $250,000.
"My understanding, from the people I know in Pemberton, is that the internet is a real pain in the ass basically," said Duke.
"If there's an opportunity to get fibre optic into the building, the people who buy into the new project will have a chance to get some high-speed internet and watch Netflix."
Duke added that he's glad that as a developer he could help make up the funding shortfall and that others in the Village will benefit from the investment.
Alpi Group, The Ridge at Pemberton, Sunstone Ridge Developments Ltd., and Tiyata Village also contributed.
Telus's PureFibre network is among the most advanced communications infrastructure available. It will enable residents to immediately take advantage of faster internet speeds of at least 150 megabits per second, while businesses, schools, healthcare providers and other institutions can access even more speed and capacity, according to a statement sent out by the Village.
"Fibre is the future," said Tony Geheran, executive vice-president of Telus.
"As Pemberton grows, this new connectivity will boost the local economy by encouraging investment and helping local businesses thrive, whether they're established large operations or small home-based start-ups."
This investment is part of Telus' commitment to invest $4.7 billion throughout British Columbia between 2017 and 2020, at no cost to taxpayers. There is no obligation to purchase Telus services once connected.
