Scott Crabbe
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 27/00) - The Internet is ready for Lutsel K'e, Rae Lakes and Wha Ti. The question is are those communities ready for the Internet.

The three NWT communities were selected for public Internet access funding through Industry Canada's Community Access Program (CAP). The money will allow access to the Internet at an affordable price.

"It will mean increased knowledge and access to outside technology that (residents) haven't had the opportunity to before," said Labra Duncan, CAP spokesperson for Wha Ti.

"They'll also be more profitable in the job market."

Internet access for Wha Ti will be made available to the public through the band office in April.

Public training courses will be offered, with extended Internet service provided to houses in the near future.

Lutsel K'e, another community receiving CAP funding, is currently waiting on technical consultation from Yellowknife before moving ahead with public Internet access. The proposed system providing Internet access will be Ardicom Communications.

"(Ardicom) is a system that utilizes the NWT phone system," said Ray Griffith, a Lutsel K'e consultant hired to do the CAP proposal.

"It offers a certain amount of Internet access in a cheaper form than long-distance rates."

The community is hoping to be online by the end of the month and will be offering orientation and training for community residents.

Public Internet access for Rae Lakes will also be offered in April through the band office with another possible site at the new community pool hall.

Currently, a handful of Rae Lakes residents are paying long-distant charges for the Internet services they're accessing. The community access program will enable people to access the Internet for a significantly cheaper price than present long-distant companies have to offer.