REGINA – In most places, dropped cell phone calls are not a political problem, but a serious wireless annoyance. However, in Saskatchewan, where the provincial government owns the telephone company, it’s a big deal for Ministers.
In fact, premier Brad Wall was so upset about all the dropped wireless calls he was experiencing and hearing about, he tweeted about how something had to be done, last month (November 23rd, to be exact).
This week, he did something about it. In the new provincial throne speech, delivered by lieutenant-governor Gordon Barnhart, the government said “Improving digital and electronic infrastructure is essential to the new economy,” and that “(d)ropped cell phone calls are still a problem, despite an increased investment in SaskTel’s 4G network of $170 million in my government’s first term,” says the speech.
So, “in the current budget year, an additional $100 million will be allocated to keep up with growth in demand for connectivity. My government will also allocate an additional $75 million over the next three years for the next generation of wireless technologies,” the L-G continued.
“The Minister responsible has been instructed to make this SaskTel’s number one priority.” MLA Bill Boyd is the minister responsible for SaskTel.
– Greg O’Brien
