Important Links To Stay Informed About Covid-19
Over the last couple of weeks, we have been diligently reviewing our network, continuing to improve our network operations and assessing how we can do more. On this note, we are pleased to inform all customers on our satellite network that we have made the following adjustments:
- Doubled our existing satellite retail packages – including home and business clients – this change is a permanent improvement for existing customers, all prices remain fixed at this time. Please note that on our network all retail packages are unlimited, we do not charge overage fees or cap bandwidth.
- Doubled satellite bandwidth speeds for all wholesale customers – this stays in effect until July 31, 2020 when we will reassess the ongoing need.
- Doubled satellite bandwidth speeds for all nursing stations in Northern Manitoba – this stays in effect until July 31, 2020 when we will reassess the ongoing need.
Please also know that BCN is a participating member of the Manitoba First Nations Covid 19 – IT Working Group, we look forward to doing all we can to provide assistance to all Indigenous communities in Manitoba.Other ways that we can support you:
- For updates on the health of our network, please visit us at http://www.gobcn.ca/outages/
- All retail clients are able to access their accounts 24/7 via https://portal.gobcn.ca/ – here you can change your retail package, pay your bill, or receive updates on your account.
- As a reminder, our service desk is here to support you Monday to Saturday at 1-888-924-6226.
Finally, we understand customers could be facing financial challenges during this period. Please know that we continue to provide flexible payment options, should you be unable to pay at this moment and are past your current due date.We understand how important staying connected is to your daily life, and we want you to know we’re here and committed to supporting you anyway we can. Thank You for your continued support.
March 17 2020,
As we deal with the emergence of the COVID-19 virus in Manitoba, we wanted to reach out to you personally to let you know what we’re doing to manage and combat this at Broadband Communications North (BCN).
Our number one priority is the health and safety for all members of our community and our employees. We are closely monitoring news and updates, both locally and abroad, from the World Health Organization (WHO), Government of Canada, First Nations Inuit Health Branch, First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba, and local health officials. We are undertaking several actions to ensure that health and safety is paramount. We also recognize the importance and the criticality of ensuring that our services are available to you on a 24 x 7 basis.
SUPPORT AND SERVICE
As of today, our office remains open, and we are starting the process of conducting rotational work from home shifts to ensure continuity and availability of our support team that you rely upon. Our service desk phone number is 1-888-924-6226.
Should you require support, rest assured that we will be answering phones, responding to emails, and our technicians will be available to offer on-site support when required. BCN is making every effort to remotely work with partners and supports already on the ground to assist with technical support.
In the case of emergency restoration and where we are unable to restore services remotely, we will quickly mobilize to dispatch field teams. We have been preparing emergency restoration kits and have them on standby should the need arise.
Out of an abundance of caution, all field service teams are working from home to minimize their exposure to COVID-19. Further, they are required to perform daily health assessments to monitor their health, any technician that fails assessment will not be dispatched, and will be requested to contact a medical representative for next steps. Field services team will be wearing high visibility vest with BCN identification. Field services team have been supplied with gloves and masks and are instructed to disinfect devices before and after working on them. Field services team have been advised to distance themselves from members of the community to avoid any contact.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
We understand that each community will have their own protocols in place as to how our emergency onsite visits should be conducted, and we are currently working to identify all of these parameters.
We’d appreciate receiving your local health updates so that we can revise our processes to better serve your community.
Further, although we have identified local support, it will be critical to identify additional community resources and people, that we can call upon to assist us to provide remote hands-on-assistance should the need arise. This helps limit our presence in your community while keeping services active.
Any information or requests should be directed to BCN at covidresponse@gobcn.ca.