Seventy-two thousand homes across Nova Scotia are still without access to high-speed internet, says a new report prepared for the province that offers a road map to connect underserved and unserved homes across the province.

The plan, developed by a consulting firm hired by the province, follows on the heels of a funding announcement the premier made in March to spend $120 million so people in rural parts of Nova Scotia have access to high-speed internet.

The plan is for 95 per cent of Nova Scotians to have wired or wireless access within five years, while the remaining five per cent of homes, the most remote in the province, will get internet via satellite technology.

The plan says there will need to be about 55 wireless tower sites set up, and about 8,900 kilometres of cable laid.

Long-standing complaints

People in rural communities have complained for years about slow, spotty or non-existent internet access. Many say it has hampered business opportunities in small communities and hurt the education of students.

In 2006, rural residents cheered when the Progressive Conservative government, under then premier Rodney MacDonald, promised that by 2010 "Nova Scotians, no matter where they live, will have 100 per cent coverage."

Not only did that not happen, but 12 years after the promise was made, fast, reliable connectivity provincewide is still far from being achieved, said Geoff MacLellan, the minister of business.

Former Nova Scotia premier Rodney MacDonald made an election promise in 2006 that all Nova Scotians would have high-speed internet access by 2010. (CBC)

"We're not there yet. We've gotten nowhere. We've been inching along," he told CBC's Information Morning Cape Breton.

MacLellan said it's been an eye-opener to see how many people are impacted by this issue.

In May, government officials announced a $26.4-million plan, most of it federally funded, to bring high-speed internet access to 64 rural and remote communities in Nova Scotia.

MacLellan said the cost to ensure that all Nova Scotians have access to high-speed internet is estimated at $300 to 500 million.