High River council Monday got an update on a proposed broadband network for the downtown business area.

Keith Ponton, a Senior Systems Consultant with IBI Group says towns and cities have different reasons for getting into broadband.

"Every municipality finds their path, in terms of broadband development and it's usually dependent on the amount of capital the municipality has available to invest versus other demands on municipalities to do the things that municipalities do in terms of water systems and wastewater systems etc," he says. "High River in this case, my initial impression is they are looking to take some positive and proactive steps to increase economic development in the community.

He says investment in broadband is certainly something they've seen from communities that want to do that.

Ponton says broadband makes it possible for companies to do business globally, no longer constrained to a physical location and allows them to connect with suppliers or partners in other areas. He adds it also allows businesses to improve the quality of life for their employees when it comes to reduced commuting times by being able to operate in a smaller community which also reduces their costs of operation.

About 600 businesses have been targeted to take part in a survey to gage interest in the project and some have already responded.

There'll be a town hall Tuesday May 16 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Highwood Memorial Centre to gather more feedback from businesses and to hear any questions they may have.