Broadband Internet access is being viewed as the gateway to personal and economic growth for the residents of Pleasant Bay, Cape Breton Island.  The high-speed portal to the information super highway would be a vast improvement over dial-up technology the community is currently enduring, said a local activist for the Internet upgrade.

It could also bring immediate economic benefits in the form of call centre technology.

Anna Moore of the Pleasant Bay Family Centre and Library Association said MDLogix call centre owner Allan Tiens approached her last summer about a partnership between his company and the library. They began extensive discussions towards that goal in January.

“It is not just a call centre, he wants to develop the skills in the community from the bottom up and create a whole new knowledge base,” said Moore, who doesn’t work for the call centre but calls herself a champion for that cause. “He wants to use computer science and all that technology it consists of to bring the outside world to the rural world without conflicting our lifestyle and our needs.” ...

See the fullstory at The Nova Scotia Business Journal