Broadband
RSSRural broadband, Starlink vs GCI vs TERRA fiber, BEAD funding, village connectivity, Alaska Communications, undersea cable projects
E-Rate payments send $335,276 to broadband in three Alaska towns
Keeping King Salmon connected took $302,400 in a single federal payment. The FCC is now reviewing whether to keep the program that paid for it.
by Melinda Communities.News2d ago2 min readAI
Rural Alaska's internet funding is changing hands as an old federal program ends
The federal program funding phone and internet in remote Alaska is ending, and three co-ops just drew some of its last payments — $14.86 million.
by Melinda Communities.News2d ago2 min readAI
GCI is buying the only fiber link connecting Alaska's Arctic coast to the state
GCI, Alaska's biggest telecom, is buying the only wired link between the Arctic coast and the rest of the state for $310 million, a route rivals depend on.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2d ago2 min readAI
Alaska schools fight FCC proposals that could cut their internet lifeline
Alaska schools rely on $200 million a year in discounted internet through E-Rate, and education groups are fighting FCC proposals that could cut it back.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 5d ago2 min readAI
A rural Alaska phone company says a subsidy cut costs $185 per connection
Alaska Power & Telephone told the FCC that ending a rural subsidy would cost the company $1.1 million yearly across its 40 remote communities.
by Melinda Communities.News1w ago2 min readAI
Unalaska paid for library internet for three years before the council approved it
Unalaska ran a library internet contract for three years without the council vote its code required. The council approved it this month, going back to 2023.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1w ago2 min readAI
Alaska superintendents ask FCC not to cut school internet subsidy
Alaska superintendents told the FCC that districts reachable only by plane or boat would lose the discount that makes school internet affordable.
by Melinda Communities.News1w ago2 min readAI
Alaska's mobile service through 2034 gets locked in next week
Alaska's mobile carriers must lock in coverage and speed commitments running through 2034 by Sept. 1, based on maps frozen at the end of 2024.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAI
Unalaska council ratifies a library internet contract three years late
Unalaska's library ran internet for three years on a contract the council never approved. The council ratified it Tuesday, 5-0, without discussion.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2w ago1 min readAI
Alaska will test whether Starlink can keep its road crews online in the bush
Alaska will test whether Starlink can keep its road crews and equipment connected in the bush, in a state already home to more than 60,000 of the dishes.
by Melinda Communities.News3w ago1 min readAI
Akiachak is in line for fiber broadband, one of seven roadless villages getting wired
Akiachak is in line for fiber broadband, one of seven roadless Y-K Delta villages being wired in a project reaching nearly 3,000 long-unserved households.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
Unalaska council retroactively approves a three-year-old library internet contract
Unalaska City Council approved a five-year internet contract for the public library at $108,876 yearly, with federal E-Rate funding covering about half the cost.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3w ago1 min readAI
Alaska schools could face a choice between internet and teachers if a federal subsidy is cut
A federal review could cut E-Rate, the subsidy that sent $203.5M to Alaska schools and libraries last year — and school boards warn it's internet or teachers.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
North Slope phone co-op moves to keep its Deadhorse airport site
The North Slope's phone co-op wants five more years for its tower and shop on Deadhorse Airport land, a no-bid extension of an existing $14,250-a-year lease.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
For Alaska's rural broadband, federal permits are the bottleneck
Alaska has over $1B to build rural broadband. In a state 60% federal land, industry says the real holdup isn't money — it's getting permits to build.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago2 min readAI
Calista seeks airport land at Kwethluk, Napakiak to bring hardwired broadband
Calista Corporation wants to build broadband shelters on airport land in Kwethluk and Napakiak to bring hardwired internet to both villages.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min readAI
Why an Arctic fiber company needs 30,000 yards of Dalton gravel
Quintillion wants 30,000 yards of Dalton Highway gravel to build a land backup for the Arctic's only fiber line — the one sea ice has cut twice, knocking whole communities offline.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Alaska school boards to FCC: don't make us choose internet over teachers
Alaska's school boards warned the FCC that gutting the E-Rate internet subsidy would force districts to choose between paying the broadband bill and paying teachers.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min readAI
Starlink claims 10 Gbps in Utqiagvik, but maybe... not so much
Starlink says it hit 10 Gbps in Utqiagvik — but that's the firehose into town, not what reaches your house. A rooftop dish still gets about 200 Mbps.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min readAI
The grant that keeps rural Alaska's libraries online is open again
In much of Alaska, the library is how you get online. The state's grant to cover those internet bills is open to every eligible library — no contest required.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Seven village schools could lose internet June 30 over a federal funding dispute
Seven Alaska village schools could lose internet June 30. Federal rules say pick the cheapest. The cheapest doesn't work out there.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Homer Electric wins state OK for undersea fiber across Kachemak Bay
Alaska approved Homer Electric's plan to convert its undersea power cable corridor across Kachemak Bay into a permanent public fiber optic easement, clearing the way for broadband to reach three roadless communities on the bay's south side.
by Alaska News2mo ago1 min readAI
Cordova carrier tells FCC spectrum hoarding blocks rural broadband
Cordova Wireless told the FCC that major carriers are sitting on unused spectrum licenses over the town and won't lease them, blocking the local provider from meeting federal broadband speed standards.
by Alaska News2mo ago2 min readAI
Small Alaska telecom warns FCC 'land rush' favors big carriers
OTZ Telephone Cooperative warned the FCC that a first-to-file rule for Alaska broadband funding favors large carriers over small rural providers, creating a race to submit applications that smaller companies cannot win fairly.
by Alaska Newsadded 2mo ago3 min readAI
Cordova Wireless challenges FCC broadband maps, says waterways and islands missing
Cordova Wireless told the FCC on May 22 that federal broadband funding maps exclude coastal waterways and islands where Alaskans work and travel, potentially cutting off support for over-water cell service residents depend on for safety.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min readAIGCI to end landline long-distance service in six Southeast communities
GCI will discontinue landline long-distance service in six Southeast communities on or after August 1, 2026, citing rising facility costs, pending FCC approval.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min readAIYukon Premier Warns of Near-Blackouts, Scales Back Electric Vehicle Push
Yukon nearly faced blackouts during extreme cold, forcing premier to drop EV mandates and subsidies to ease grid strain. • Territory will add 15 megawatts of diesel or LNG this summer, then 45 more over five years. • Isolated 150-megawatt grid relies on three aging dams and cannot tap neighboring regions for power. • Electrification paused as near-term priority until capacity expands.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska manufacturers have 11 days to enter state's top award
The Made in Alaska program has opened nominations for its 2025 Manufacturer of the Year award with a May 29, 2026 deadline, offering winners a custom bowl, state publicity, and Alaska Manufacturing Association membership.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min readAI
Mat-Su Job Center Offers Free Digital Literacy Help Twice Weekly
The Alaska Literacy Program is providing free, no-appointment drop-in computer skills tutoring twice weekly at the Mat-Su Job Center to help job seekers gain digital literacy skills.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min readAI52 Alaska districts join safety consortium using federal grant model
Hydaburg City School District is leading 52 Alaska school districts in a safety consortium based on a federal grant program proven on Prince of Wales Island, with participants receiving customized safety handbooks through a working symposium.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min readAIFairbanks Borough mails 2026 property assessment notices
The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assessing Department sent annual property assessment notices to all property owners at the end of January, showing current and previous year values that may increase based on neighborhood sales prices.
by Alaska Newsadded 4mo ago1 min readAI
