Fastwyre asks the state to let it end cable TV in Galena and Unalaska after 41 years

Fastwyre Broadband has asked state regulators to let it shut off cable television in Galena and Unalaska at 11:59 pm on New Year's Eve, ending service that started in 1985.

The company says it considered upgrading but decided the cost of new equipment "is not justified for 70 accounts." That's how many cable accounts it has left across Galena, Unalaska and Dutch Harbor.

Eyecom Inc., which does business as Fastwyre, filed its application with the Regulatory Commission of Alaska on Nov. 3 and asked for a ruling by Dec. 18. It stopped signing up new cable customers the same day. Current subscribers keep their service unless the commission approves.

The company says the equipment that sends out its TV signal is near the end of its useful life, and that parts and technical support are getting harder to find. Programming costs keep rising, it says, making cable "expensive for the few subscribers who remain," and subscribers have steadily moved to streaming and satellite. The systems operate at a loss, the company says, and it doesn't expect that to change.

The company says DirecTV and DISH offer satellite service in both towns, streaming services such as YouTube TV carry many of the same channels, and KUCB, KAKM and ARCS programming is available over the air or online. Those options, Eyecom wrote, "offer the same or more programming, generally with better picture quality than Eyecom's systems."

The company's business internet page, last updated in 2024, lists Galena plans topping out at about 1 megabit per second, and the least expensive of those caps usage at 12 gigabytes. YouTube TV says it needs 3 megabits per second to stream standard-definition video and may load slowly or rebuffer below that. The page lists Unalaska plans of up to 4 megabits and invites customers to call about faster ones.

Customers are getting a few parting credits. Everyone with cable gets a $25 credit per video service in November and December, which the company calls a "Courtesy Video Retirement Credit." Customers who also buy internet or phone service from Eyecom's affiliate, Interior Telephone Company, get a credit equal to one month of that service, spread over 12 bills starting in January. Video-only customers who sign up for internet or phone by Dec. 31 get 10% off that service for a year.

And no one has to return their cable box. "Customers who lease set-top boxes from Eyecom do not need to return them to the Company," the application says.

Internet and phone service will continue. The company says customers are being notified on their Nov. 1 bills, 60 days before the proposed shutoff.

Under state law, a utility can't stop service unless the commission finds, after notice and a chance for a hearing, that continued service isn't required by "the public convenience and necessity." The commission said it may schedule a hearing so people can speak for or against the plan. Comments are due by 5 pm Nov. 25 and should reference docket U-26-026.