Broadband and wi-fi internet are revolutionising cities and regions. Even rural communi- ties around the globe are finding that they do not have to be left in the dust, if they adopt and adapt this technology.
The problem for rural communi- ties is that networks that distribute this technology to metropolitan areas are not being developed across many landscapes. Some small towns refuse to be held back, however.
Stratford, Ontario – population 32,000 – is one such town. Known largely for its annual Shakespeare festival, recently the community invested heavily in ubiquitous broadband connectivity provided by underground fibre-optic cabling and a wireless mesh network. The smart grid goes 70 kilometres around Stratford. “It has two trans- former stations that feed the city, which back each other through a series of computer-aided circuits,” says Stratford mayor Dan Mathieson.
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