Interior Alaska Receives $30 Million to Deploy High-Speed Internet
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) today announced that the Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) is receiving a $30.3 million federal broadband grant, made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The grant comes through USDA’s ReConnect Program, which aims to build out broadband infrastructure to connect communities across the United States with high speed internet access. TCC’s grant will help to fund a fiber network in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, delivering affordable, high-speed internet for families, businesses, and educational facilities.
TCC’s project will be supported by the FCC's Affordable Connectivity and Tribal Lifeline programs, which will serve the Hughes, Huslia, Alatna, and Allakaket Native Village Statistical Areas as well as communities in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area.
“Congratulations to the Tanana Chiefs Conference and the many communities in the Yukon Koyukuk region who will benefit from the transformational change this investment in broadband infrastructure will bring,” said Senator Murkowski. “Through my work on the bipartisan infrastructure law, including investments for broadband was a top priority—from closing services gaps to addressing reliability and affordability in such a rural state like Alaska. These investments in expanded connectivity will bring new opportunities for education, healthcare, and economic development—truly real-life benefits for Alaskans.”
“Access to high-speed, reliable internet can be life-changing for a community, enhancing the delivery of health care and education, and opening doors for small businesses and entrepreneurs,” said Senator Sullivan. “Many of our rural, Alaska Native communities for too long have found themselves without the broadband connectivity that most Americans take for granted. I’m glad to see the significant federal infrastructure dollars we secured being deployed to break down the digital divide and improve the lives and well-being of thousands of Alaskans across the Interior of Alaska.”
"TCC is proud to have secured funding for this vital infrastructure project on behalf of our tribes along the Koyukuk River. This network is a key part of TCC’s ongoing strategy to narrow the digital divide for our tribal members and to improve the standard of living for our people. We appreciate the USDA for this substantial opportunity and Senator Murkowski, Senator Sullivan, and the late Congressman Young for fighting to make these opportunities available to our state,” said TCC Chief/Chairman Brian Ridley.
In 2022 alone, over $461.2 million in federal broadband funding has been announced for Alaska, of which over $210.9 million stems from the USDA Reconnect Program.
To learn more about investment resources for rural areas, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
