The Thompson Nicola Regional District wants to assess what needs to be done to improve internet in rural areas.

Director of community services Ron Storie says the TNRD will be asking for $15,000 from the province to do a rural connectivity strategy. The regional district says the strategy would cost up to $60,000 to do, and staff could then ask for federal funding to build infrastructure.

“We love to hear how anybody in the world can run a small business from home, but you can’t run a small business from your home if you’re in a rural area where there’s no proper access to the web,” TNRD board chair Ken Gillis says.

“It’s one of those things I think where you have to just keep up the pressure and hope that one day it’ll be our turn. And even then, when it is our turn it could easily leave areas – for example, the top end of Pritchard out of luck, it could leave Pinantan out of luck. And yet, be a blessing for a place like 70 Mile House which also needs better coverage.”

If that funding is successful, each rural area within the TNRD would be asked to contribute up to $5,000 each.