Access Communications is a Canadian telecommunications service provider operating in over 235 communities in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North ...

. Headquartered in Regina, the

co-operative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

provides

internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a ''internetworking, network of networks'' that consists ...

cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into el ...

and

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services to residential and business customers. Its primary competitor is Saskatchewan's government-owned SaskTel.

History

Access Communications was established in 1974 as the Regina Cablevision Co-operative. After a prolonged legal and constitutional dispute between the federal and the provincial governments, which had differing visions of how cable television should be delivered in the province, the co-operative was granted a Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) licence for broadcast in 1976 and began providing cable television services as Cable Regina on February 14, 1978. More than 24,000 households in Regina signed up for cable services in its first years of operations. After nearly two decades focusing solely on cable television and local broadcasting, the co-operative launched dial-up internet service in September 1995 and cable modem

broadband In telecommunications, broadband is wide bandwidth data transmission which transports multiple signals at a wide range of frequencies and Internet traffic types, that enables messages to be sent simultaneously, used in fast internet connections. ...

service followed in 1997. Cable Regina diversified and extended its reach into other areas of the province in the 1990s through the acquisition of other cable television providers in Regina Beach, White City, Weyburn, Estevan and Yorkton. On April 17, 2000, the co-operative's name changed to Access Communications. In the early 2000s, Access Communications merged with the Battlefords Community Cablevision. Primary line

services were launched in 2007. Looking to further expand its presence in smaller communities, Access Communications purchased

Persona A persona (plural personae or personas), depending on the context, is the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional character. The word derives from Latin, where it originally referred to a theatri ...

's cable operations in Saskatchewan from Halifax-based Eastlink in 2009, becoming the largest cable television provider in the province. In 2015, Access Communications acquired Askivision and

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as ...

-based Little Loon Wireless; the purchase of the latter allowed the co-operative to deliver fixed-wireless broadband high-speed internet to rural areas in Saskatchewan.

Services

Access Communications offers cable modem and fixed-wireless broadband internet, cable television (digital and analog), telephone, home security and

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Internet

Access Communications uses a hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) network infrastructure to deliver its internet services. In March 2019, it announced that it is one of the internet service providers participating in the federal government's Connecting Families Program.

Cable television

Access Communications distributes standard-definition and high-definition cable television programming, including

digital cable Digital cable is the distribution of cable television using digital data and video compression. The technology was first developed by General Instrument. By 2000, most cable companies offered digital features, eventually replacing their previo ...

. It offers digital video recorders such as TiVo, video-on-demand services and has implemented

switched digital video Switched video or switched digital video (SDV), sometimes referred to as switched broadcast (SWB), is a telecommunications industry term for a network scheme for distributing digital video via a cable. Switched video sends the digital video more ...

(SDV) technology in many markets.

AccessNow TV

Access operates community channels on its cable systems branded as AccessNow TV (formerly Access7), which have carried locally produced programs and events, including programs highlighting multicultural, indigenous and LGBT communities in Saskatchewan. The channels adopted their current name in September 2020. Its sports coverage includes broadcasts of the

Regina Pats Regina (Latin for "queen") may refer to: Places Canada * Regina, Saskatchewan, the capital city of the province ** Regina (electoral district) ** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina France * Régina, French Guiana, a commune United States * ...

and other

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior ...

games. Its first agreement with the Western Hockey League was signed in 1993.

Telephone

Access Communications' digital phone service was launched in February 2007 and utilizes IP technology instead of a traditional landline. Such a system operates on an ATA ( Analog Telephony Adapter) device with a built-in cable modem. The modem communicates over cable lines to a private IP network. In this sense, it can be considered

VoIP Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also called IP telephony, is a method and group of technologies for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. The terms Interne ...

, in that it is voice delivered over an IP network. However, because it travels over dedicated lines, it is still designed to be usable in a power outage scenario.

Home security

The co-operative offers home security and home automation services. In 2016, an

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-based home automation monitored service was introduced. Subscribers can secure and monitor their property through web-based and mobile applications, as well as through

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Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

and

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devices.

Structure

Access Communications operates as a

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

co-operative and its brand focuses on its community-based ownership, reinvesting its revenues on service improvements, as well as promoting and supporting local events and community organizations. It has a charity, the Access Communications Children's Fund, as well as a scholarship program. In 2019, the co-operative supported close to 2,000 community groups and was recognized as one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers, one of Saskatchewan Top 100 Companies and was named a Caring Company by Imagine Canada in 2017.

References

External links

* {{Canadian VOIP Telecommunications companies of Canada Cable and DBS companies of Canada Companies based in Regina, Saskatchewan Media cooperatives in Canada Communications in Saskatchewan Internet service providers of Canada 1974 establishments in Saskatchewan Telecommunications companies established in 1974