Federal Cash for Broadband Internet in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Region
Bethel after dark, December 2009.
Andrea Pokrzywinski | Flickr
A pair of federal grants are paying for Bethel Native Corporation (BNC) and GCI to bring broadband internet to more than 10,000 customers in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (Y-K) region via fiber optic cable up the Kuskokwim River.
‘Round the Cape and Upriver
The US Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration awarded a $42.4 million grant from its Tribal Broadband Connectivity program to bring 2 Gbps internet service to Bethel and communities along the route.
“BNC celebrates this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring high-speed internet service to Bethel, Platinum, Eek, Napaskiak, and Oscarville,” says BNC President and CEO Ana Hoffman. “Once complete, the fiber project will provide community residents with access to the same internet plans and prices GCI offers to consumers in Anchorage. Fiber’s faster speeds and unlimited data will be transformational. It will improve the quality of life here at home and, ultimately, the broader Y-K Delta.”
The 405-mile fiber project starts in Dillingham, where it will connect with a planned Nushagak Electric & Telephone Cooperative long-haul fiber project. From there, a submarine route comes ashore at the mouth of the Kuskokwim River, then following an overland route to Bethel. Service is scheduled to begin in Bethel in 2024.
GCI will upgrade its local access network in Bethel and install last-mile fiber along the way in Platinum, Eek, Napaskiak, and Oscarville.
“GCI is thrilled to work with BNC to close the digital divide in Bethel and other communities in the Y-K Delta,” says GCI Senior Vice President of Corporate Development Billy Wailand. “The project will leverage the substantial network investment GCI has already made in the Y-K Delta with our own capital and federal grants and support GCI’s multi year plan to improve wired and wireless internet service throughout the region.”
GCI has been awarded $31 million through the US Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect program to construct long-haul fiber and local fiber in the Y-K Delta communities of Atmautluak, Kasigluk, Nunapitchuk, Quinhagak, and Tuntutuliak.
The two projects combined are called the Airraq Network (pronounced EYE-huck), after the traditional Yup’ik game similar to cat’s cradle, which translates as “string that tells the story.”
Making History
The track of oil and gas development in Alaska shows the footprints of bold companies and hard-working individuals who shaped the industry in the past and continue to innovate today. The May 2024 issue of Alaska Business explores that history while looking forward to new product development, the energy transition for the fishing fleet, and the ethics of AI tools in business.