YKHC and GCI Announce Plans to Jointly Pursue Federal Funding for Fiber Internet Service to Bethel
Jim Williams | Canva.com
Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC), the tribal health organization for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, and GCI will apply to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for a $53 million grant to launch a project to extend high-speed, low-latency fiber internet service to Bethel. The project, which would be completed in 2024, would bring urban-level 1 gig internet speeds and service to Bethel and other communities along the fiber route and will ultimately transform internet connectivity throughout the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
“Fiber’s high speed and almost unlimited capacity will be substantially more affordable for the families, businesses and schools of the region,” says YKHC President & CEO Dan Winkelman. “Our project is truly unique and yet complementary to other regional proposals since fiber can be the backbone of any local or regional network to achieve necessary redundancy and reliability standards.”
“GCI is committed to closing the digital divide in rural Alaska and has a long history of investing in rural broadband infrastructure projects,” says GCI CEO Ron Duncan. “Federal broadband support has never been higher and YKHC and GCI are taking advantage of this once-in-a-generation funding opportunity to deliver urban-level internet speeds to a region that, by any measure, is one of the most remote in the nation. When the fiber project is complete, Bethel residents will enjoy internet speeds as fast or faster than those offered in New York City, Los Angeles, or Chicago.”
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April 2024
Bethel is the transportation and services hub for the larger Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, home to roughly 30,000 Alaskans. Situated on the banks of the Kuskokwim and Yukon Rivers, the region is the traditional home for the Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Athabascan people. Bethel’s comprehensive tribal health care system serves fifty-eight federally recognized Tribes and operates forty-one village clinics, five sub-regional clinics, numerous residential and outpatient treatment programs, and a regional hospital. The region’s school district office, supporting 4,300 students, is based in Bethel, as well as the headquarters for the Association of Village Council Presidents and AVCP Regional Housing Authority.
The proposed project will follow a combined submarine route from GCI’s existing fiber network in Levelock, Alaska, to the mouth of the Kuskokwim River where it is expected to follow a terrestrial route to Bethel. GCI also will upgrade its local access network in Bethel to offer lightning-fast 1 gig internet speeds to residents. YKHC and GCI are working to secure support from Tribal partners along the proposed route.
The proposed projects will be submitted for consideration by NTIA’s Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, which will distribute $1 billion for major broadband infrastructure project across the nation. The deadline for grant applications is September 1, 2021, and award announcements are expected before the end of the year.
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