2488-7086-1-PB.pdf

Research in Brief A New Remote Community-Owned Wireless Communication Service: Fort Severn First Nation Builds Their Local Cellular System with Keewaytinook Mobile Susan O’Donnell University of New Brunswick George Kakekaspan Fort Severn First Nation Brian Beaton K-Net, Keewaytinook Okimakanak Brian Walmark Keewaytinook Okimakanak Research Institute Raymond Mason Keewaytinook Mobile Michael Mak McMaster University ABSTRACT Fort Severn First Nation is a remote fly-in community on Hudson Bay. Its lifestyle reflects a deep respect for and connection to the land. The Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO) Tribal Council has developed the Keewaytinook Mobile (KM) service in remote First Nation communities in Northern Ontario. In November 2009, Fort Severn and KO established the KM service in the community. This study traces the history of KM and its implementation in Fort Severn and describes how and why community members are using the service. The Canadian Journal of Communication Vol 36 (2011) 663-673 ?2011 Canadian Journal of Communication Corporation Susan O’Donnell is Adjunct Professor of Sociology at the University of New Brunswick. Email: susanodo@unb.ca . George Kakekaspan is Project Manager for Fort Severn First Nation. Email: georgekakekaspan@knet.ca . Brian Beaton is Coordinator of K-Net, Keewaytinook Okimakanak. K-Net. Email: brian.beaton@knet.ca . Brian Walmark is Director of the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Research Institute. Email: brian.walmark@knet.ca . Raymond Mason is Community Coordinator for Keewaytinook Mobile. Email: raymond.mason@knet.ca . Michael Mak is a Research Intern at McMaster University. Email: makamizz@ . 664 Canadian Journal of Communication, Vol 36 (4) analysis is based on interviews and discussions with community members during three re- search visits between March 2010 to March 2011. KEYWORDS Wireless; Community Networks; Broadband Networks; Infrastructure; First Nations RéSUMé Fort Severn est une communauté isolée située sur les rives de la b