The First Mile: Community Stories

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Setting up Skype for Community Meetings

Hay River - Northwest Territories

Monday, 16 January 2012, 12:42 PM
Setting up Skype for Community Meetings

By Henry Tambour, K’atl’odeeche First Nation, with Rob McMahon

K’atl’odeeche First Nation is a member of the Dehcho Nations of the Northwest Territories. Henry Tambour works as the band’s network technician. He is helping build the community’s new fibre optic network. He also helps set up local wireless connections and software.

Right now K’atl’odeeche is served by copper infrastructure that has been in place since the early 1980s. The community receives Internet connectivity through ADSL over telephone lines. This service is provided by NorthwestTel, one of only teleco providers in the NWT. In mid-January 2011, the CRTC criticized NorthwesTel for high rates and low levels of service. In fact, one newspaper article includes a statement from an SSI Micro spokesperson that the company was charging up to 30 times the price of comparable residential Internet service in southern Canada.

_{Henry at the Chief Lamilise
Complex}

In 2011, K’atl’odeeche received $275,000 over two years from CanNor for local infrastructure development. The community is now using the funding to develop a community-owned and managed network. They will network administrative buildings in the community. Local students are documenting this project in First Mile videos.

Henry uses new technologies to meet community needs. He has set up a local system that allows people living or travelling outside the community to participate in community meetings. His system also helps Elders who are hard of hearing, and people who speak the Slavey language to participate.

Here, Henry shows how to set up his system at the Chief Lamilise Complex. Henry also set this up to broadcast over a community radio signal. If you want to learn more, contact him at kfnnet@katlodeeche.com

1) Set up the PA system


Inside the Chief Lamilise Complex where meetings take place. When community members are traveling or live outside the community, they can participate.	K'atl'odeeche's unit is light and durable. Henry started using this system in November 2011. The PA cost approximately $1,000.	The system also has a USB hook-up to digitally record all the proceedings.

2) Connect wireless mics to PA (plug into PA mic jack on right)


This is the wireless microphone used by people in the room	Henry showing us the PA and microphone system	Plugging the wireless microphone into the PA mic jack

3) Set up two wireless microphones: one for English speakers, one for Slavey speakers

Henry uses two mics during meetings. Someone acts as a translator between the languages.

The community owns several headsets to pick up these signals.

These headsets are used for people who are hard of hearing.

The first channel picks up everything in English. The second channel is the Slavey channel.

4) Set up second wired mic (bendable one) to laptop speakers (goes into PA mic jack on left)


A laptop with a wireless connection lets people outside the community participate.	This mic picks up people talking through the laptop speakers.	When plugged into the PA, the Skype conversation is amplified to everyone in the room.