It’s set to be a big year for broadband in Clearwater County, and residents can get in-the-know with a number of spring open houses.

Including government grants, the county has set aside over $43 million in 2025 to connect more rural residents to high speed internet.

For those who have questions, four open houses have been scheduled in April:

• Tuesday April 15 at 6-8 p.m. Nordegg community hall
• Wednesday April 16, 6-8 p.m. at he Rocky Regional Recreation Facility
• Wednesday April 23 6-8 p.m. at the Leslieville Community Hall
• Thursday April 24 6-8 p.m. at Dovercourt Community Hall

The project itself will consist of latency-free, fibre-optic internet connectivity, which county officials describe as “future-proof”, allowing economic growth through increased online connectivity for businesses and individuals.

A fibre-optic “backbone” runs from Nordegg, through Rocky Mountain House all the way down to Olds. The backbone will be “open access”, meaning once operational, West Country residents can have freedom of choice when it comes to internet providers.

Fibre is expected to have a life-expectancy of at least 50 years, said Murray Hagan, director of Corporate Services, adding it doesn’t have issues such as latency, which is seen in other methods such as satellite.

In the meantime, the county has launched a new, online information hub for everything broadband.

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