<\/p>\n
Imagine your internet suddenly slows to a crawl\u2014this page takes two minutes to load, YouTube stops working, emails won\u2019t send. Unfortunately, this is an everyday experience <\/a>for people in\u00a0rural, remote, and Indigenous communities across the country.<\/p>\n To help improve their situation,\u00a0many communities\u00a0have chosen\u00a0to take internet access\u00a0into their own hands<\/a>\u00a0and\u2014for\u00a0several\u00a0of them\u2014CIRA has been there to provide much-needed funding\u00a0to help them build stronger or more resilient infrastructure.<\/p>\n Last week\u00a0we\u00a0unveiled the recipients<\/a>\u00a0of this year\u2019s $1.25 million Community Investment Program grants initiative, which\u00a0featured\u00a0a number of\u00a0projects designed to improve connectivity in communities that\u00a0are\u00a0lagging behind\u00a0when it comes to the internet\u00a0\u2014with a special focus on First Nations.\u00a0You can find the full list of recipients\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n One of those projects is set to take place in\u00a0Maskwacis, Alberta,\u00a0just a\u00a0short drive from Edmonton. A\u00a0local,\u00a0First Nations-led, not-for-profit\u00a0called the\u00a0Mamawapowin\u00a0Technology Society<\/a>\u00a0is extending\u00a0the do-it-yourself broadband network they built<\/a>\u00a0in the Samson Cree Nation\u00a0several years ago\u00a0to the nearby\u00a0Ermineskin\u00a0Cree Nation\u00a0to provide locals with\u00a0access to high-speed internet.<\/p>\n