What does PRIS mean in SOCIETIES

What Does PRIS Stand For?

PRIS stands for “Peace Region Internet Society”. The organisation was founded in 1998 by four pioneers of local businesspeople, with the aim of bringing affordable high-speed internet access to the region’s residents. As its name suggests, PRIS operates within the geographical boundaries of the Peace River Regional District (RDR) – an area encompassing approximately 120 communities across two million hectares in northern British Columbia.

As the only regionally based non-profit internet service provider (ISP), PRIS serves more than 25,000 residential customers, plus hundreds of businesses and non-profit organisations throughout RDR and beyond – from Fort St John to Chetwynd, Pink Mountain to Tumbler Ridge, Fort Nelson to Hudson’s Hope, Mackenzie to Bear Lake. All told, PRIS provides internet services – both wired and wireless – to over 400 rural communities in BC’s remote North.

What Does PRIS Do?

In addition to providing reliable high-speed access to thousands of households and businesses in these areas at a fraction of urban prices, PRIS also actively works towards bridging the digital divide between rural and urban populations by providing educational resources on digital literacy as well as promoting local content development initiatives through their Digital Innovation Hub program.

What's more, as a local not-for-profit organization serving rural communities across RDR since 1998 - long before major telecommunications companies had arrived on the scene - they have made it possible for thousands of citizens living in small towns and large rural areas alike to experience truly universal connectivity regardless of geographic or financial constraints. This has empowered many users who would otherwise have limited or no access at all by making available essential services such as telehealth services, video streaming capabilities, e-commerce platforms and more that require minimum bandwidths at lower costs than offered by corporate ISPs.