Broadband networks are an integral part of the BELLE Project and to the delivery of next generation online educational objects. It is only through such networks that applications such as videoconferencing and streaming video become practical. Significantly increasing the amount of bandwidth available to instructors and students will dramatically change the quality of the educational experience. Simply put, broadband networks enable the delivery of media-rich, interactive materials to the classroom. Equally important is their ability to accommodate a degree of interaction between geographically separated teachers and learners that previously was a structural barrier to distance education. Advanced networks such as CA*net 3 (across Canada) and NeteraNet (in Alberta) indicate the future direction of broadband technology. In the next few years these networks will be able to deliver high-resolution video almost instantaneously to any school, office or home in the country. "Always on" connections, high-quality content and the combination of wireless and wired networks mean that learning will be possible anywhere, anytime. BELLE is predicated on the use of these networks as a testbed for the applications that are required to build national object repositories.   A Proud Canadian Legacy. By Gerry Miller and Andrew K. Bjerring. CA*net3 Institute. The early history and evolution of the CA*net3, Canada's national Internet backbone. Netera Alliance The leader of the BELLE Project, Netera Alliance is a not-for-profit corporation of universities, research institutions, government and small and large private-sector companies facilitating advanced information infrastructure in Alberta. ARDNOC Information about the Advanced Research and Development Network Operations Center (ARDNOC) and CA*net3.