Alaska

Amplifying Investments through Relationship Building

Permitting in “the Last Frontier” is a challenge like no other. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) staff traveled to Alaska throughout 2023 to meet with state and federal partners, build relationships, and explore opportunities to streamline permitting. As a result, multiple efforts are underway to coordinate and ease permitting challenges in Alaska.

Connecting Alaska Native Communities

As of December 2023, over $400 million has been awarded to Alaskan Tribes through NTIA’s Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP), funding Tribal broadband projects across Alaska. Innovative “tundra lay” and riverbed fiber projects are connecting Alaska Native communities that have been left behind for too long.

Local Public Engagement

The Alaska Broadband Office conducted extensive Tribal consultations that brought both Tribal governments and Alaska Native Corporations to the table to better inform Alaska’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program planning. Organizations funded through the BEAD and Digital Equity Act programs conducted hundreds of technical assistance sessions, engagements and listening sessions in some of the most remote places on Earth.

Laying Foundation for Tech Career Creation

The University of Alaska Fairbanks received $2.9 million through NTIA’s Connecting Minority Communities (CMC) Pilot Program to purchase hardware and software and to boost Internet speeds at rural campuses. In recent years, rural campuses in communities like Nome and Kotzebue benefited from access to fiber connections but have been unable to afford speeds greater than 10 Mbps. The upgrades will allow low-income Alaska Native and disadvantaged students to pursue technology careers through online classes.

Future Proofing Fiber Lines

NTIA’s Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure (Middle Mile) Program made history by greenlighting QSH Parent Holdco LLC’s $150 million Nome to Homer Express Route. This subsea fiber project will complete the circle of redundant fiber that rings Alaska’s 600,000 square miles of wilderness and harsh seas. For tens of thousands of Alaskans who are currently vulnerable to months of outages when fiber lines break, future downtime will be measured in milliseconds instead of months.

BEAD Funding Advancing Mapping Initiatives

NTIA’s BEAD planning funds enabled the Alaska Broadband Office to analyze satellite imagery and accurately locate tens of thousands of additional homes not included in existing broadband mapping efforts. Through the hard work of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), plus advocacy from countless partners, Alaska saw one of the largest broadband serviceable locations increases in the nation. Broadband maps now more closely reflect the diverse locations Alaskans call home.