Delegation Celebrates FCC’s “Alaska Plan 2.0” to Strengthen State Broadband Connectivity
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska), and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska), celebrated the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announcement of the Alaska Connect Fund (ACF), an extension of the successful Alaska Plan program aimed at expanding and improving broadband connectivity throughout Alaska. The Alaska Plan, which went into effect in 2016, reserved $1.5 billion in funding over ten years for maintenance, extensions, and upgrades for broadband service in communities across the state. Since enactment, the Alaska Plan has delivered new and upgraded broadband service to more than 96,000 Alaskans and enhanced wireless service for 65,000 Alaskans. The ACF extends this project for an additional ten years.
“Whether you’re a commercial fisherman outside of Dutch Harbor, or a subsistence hunter leaving Utqiagvik on your snowmachine, finding cell service in rural Alaska is incredibly important – and also incredibly challenging. No other state has as many remote communities, and with extreme weather and terrain combined with short building seasons, the infrastructure demands for wireless service in Alaska are wholly unique from the rest of the Lower 48,” said Senator Murkowski. “That’s why the FCC’s announcement that the Alaska Connect Fund will be extended for 10 years means so much to our state. Alaska’s telecommunications providers can now be confident as they plan out infrastructure investments that will ensure Alaskans are more and more connected over the coming years. I’m grateful that the FCC has been so receptive to my office’s advocacy about Alaska’s distinctive needs – particularly FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, who took the time to visit and see firsthand the complexities involved with building out Alaska’s broadband infrastructure. My thanks goes to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel for making this extension a priority in a timely manner, Senator Sullivan for his work in this space on the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, as well as Christine O’Connor and the ATA for their partnership in this process.”
“The FCC’s 2016 Alaska Plan has been an important success. Rural Alaska communities are more connected today than ever before, and more investments are being made to bring reliable, high-speed internet access to even more communities across our state,” said Senator Sullivan. “Because of the Alaska Plan’s success, we were able to work with our Alaska carriers and stakeholders to make the case to the FCC to keep the momentum going and renew the plan through the new Alaska Connect Fund. As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, the lack of internet access in so many Alaska communities was a driving force behind my work to improve Alaska’s broadband access. We brought senior federal officials up to see firsthand Alaska’s unique challenges, negotiated Alaska-specific provisions in the bipartisan infrastructure bill, and educated my Senate colleagues on the specific connectivity needs of our state. I want to thank our Alaska carriers who relentlessly made the case to the FCC about the unique challenges they face in meeting the communications needs of all Alaskans, especially in rural Alaska. Our goal has been to connect every Alaska community. We will continue to press forward and relentlessly focus on this goal until all Alaska communities have critical connectivity.”
“Too often, Alaska is decades behind in infrastructure development, especially when it comes to reliable broadband,” said Representative Peltola. “The Alaska Plan has made a huge difference in our state and its extension will continue to connect more and more families to the high speed internet they need for everything from work, to school, to checking river openings.”
“We are incredibly grateful to the FCC, and to our Alaska delegation in Washington—Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Dan Sullivan, and Congresswoman Mary Peltola—for their unwavering commitment to expanding broadband access for Alaska’s rural communities,” said Christine O’Connor, Executive Director of the Alaska Telecom Association. “The Alaska Connect Fund is a crucial step forward in ensuring that every Alaskan has access to reliable, high-speed internet, which is essential for education, healthcare, economic growth, and overall quality of life.”
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