The good news is that the new cellular service between Sooke and Port Renfrew allows anyone with a cellphone to call 911 in an emergency.
The bad news is if you are a Bell or Telus customer, that’s about the only call you can make.
The 71-kilometre stretch of highway affected by the situation includes Port Renfrew and Jordan River, as well as China Beach and French provincial parks, and the Juan de Fuca Trail.
Juan de Fuca District director Al Wickheim said a lot of people believed that everyone would have cell service once the seven new towers were in place.
While emergency 911 service and Amber Alerts are available on other networks, it appears that it’s a business decision on the part of the other carriers as to whether they want to “piggyback” onto Rogers network to provide coverage.
Cindy Grauer, with B.C. government relations, said in a statement that the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission requires all major wireless providers to make their network available to other Canadian companies that opt in to domestic roaming. but those companies must compensate the owner of the network they roam on.
Grauer said that while Bell and Telus roam on each other’s networks, they have not opted to roam on other networks, and that is why Telus and Bell customers can’t get service on Highway 14.
A spokesperson from Rogers said in an email that they are proud of their partnership with the B.C. government to bring wireless service to the previously unconnected section of Highway 14, including 911 access for all mobile phone users, regardless of of the carrier.
Other network operators can negotiate access for their customers where Rogers is the only network provider, the email noted.
Morgan Shipley, senior manager for communications at Bell, said the company continually evaluates opportunities to expand cell service for its customers, including working in areas where they don’t have their own infrastructure.
“However, we don’t have an update to share for this stretch of Highway 14,” Shipley said in an email to the Sooke News Mirror.
Telus did not respond for a request for comment before the Sooke News Mirror’s deadline.Rogers provided a story in a B.C. government publication about an expansion of cellular coverage in the Cariboo involving Telus and the B.C. government as an example of a similar situation.
The B.C. government and federal government partnered in 2022 to provide up to $830 million to expand high-speed internet rural and First Nations communities that are under served, with a goal of connecting every household in B.C. by 2027.
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The provincial government has spent about $5 million on the Highway 14 project, with Rogers Communications investing close to $700,000.
“Government investments in cell connectivity deliver essential infrastructure, ensuring that residents, commuters and tourists can access critical services in case of an emergency and enjoy the benefits of reliable cell service,” B.C. Citizens’ Services Minister Lisa Beare said at a May 3 press conference in Shirley when the work on Highway 14 was completed.