Cordova carrier tells FCC spectrum hoarding blocks rural broadband

A small Alaska wireless carrier told federal regulators Wednesday that large carriers hold unused spectrum in the Cordova region but won't deploy it or lease it to local providers, blocking the company's ability to meet federal broadband speed standards.

Cordova Wireless Communications CEO Jeremiah Beckett and CFO Lisa Koker, represented by attorney Kenneth C. Johnson, met via teleconference with Federal Communications Commission officials June 10 to raise concerns about what the company called spectrum hoarding. Nationwide carriers hold licenses in rural Alaska but refuse to use them or make them available, Cordova said. The FCC's authority to auction new spectrum licenses lapsed in March 2023 when Congress did not renew it, leaving the agency unable to bring additional spectrum to market while existing licensees decline to make their holdings available. Cordova filed a notice of the ex parte meeting with the FCC on June 11, 2026.

The discussion centered on eligible-areas maps the FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau is developing for the Alaska Connect Fund, which the FCC established Nov. 4, 2024, to restructure high-cost support for Alaska broadband. Cordova has previously challenged FCC broadband maps for its service area, arguing that waterways and islands were missing from coverage assessments.

Cordova presses for flexibility in testing and mapping

Cordova requested flexibility in testing requirements to account for manpower constraints and seasonal network usage spikes. The company said it's difficult to plan capital investments while FCC rules for the Alaska Connect Fund remain in flux.

The carrier also raised concerns about inaccessible hexes in the bureau's eligible-areas map for Cordova's service area. Cordova is not connected to the Alaska road system and can only be reached by air or sea, which increases the cost and complexity of deploying and maintaining broadband infrastructure.

The FCC has previously accounted for backhaul deficits in rural Alaska when setting performance requirements. Cordova argued the agency needs to take spectrum limitations into account as it develops Alaska Connect Fund rules.