Alaska Communications, OTZ Telecom to Provide Immediate, Free Internet Access to Educators, Students and Families in Northwest Alaska
April 05 2022 - 11:00AM
Business Wire
Alaska Communications and OTZ Telecom will provide home internet
to educators, students and families in 10 villages in Northwest
Alaska using new low-latency satellite technology.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220405005391/en/
Pictured: Kiana, Alaska. (Photo: Business
Wire)
The communities served include Buckland, Deering, Ambler, Kiana,
Kobuk, Noorvik, Shungnak, Selawik, Noatak and Kivalina. These are
some of the most remote and hard-to-serve communities in
Alaska.
“We’re pleased to work with OTZ Telecom to provide
transformative satellite service to these communities,” said Bill
Bishop, president and CEO of Alaska Communications. “This service
will enable educational opportunities that weren’t possible before,
supporting digital equity, closing the homework gap and improving
quality of life. It’s part of our commitment to Alaska and our
partnership with OTZ to help them serve Northwest Alaska
communities. We know how critical broadband is, especially for
education. We thank the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
along with Senator Murkowski and Senator Sullivan for their support
bringing this important infrastructure to our state.”
“OTZ is committed to supporting our region’s economic growth and
social well-being,” said Kelly Williams, OTZ CEO. “Access to
reliable, affordable, high-speed broadband will support both and is
critical for our future. We have served residents in Kotzebue and
the surrounding areas since 1975. Our history and commitment to our
communities combined with Alaska Communications’ 120-plus year
history serving Alaska and its technical expertise create the ideal
partnership for this project.”
The project is funded by the Emergency Connectivity Fund, an FCC
program to help schools and libraries support remote learning in
underserved communities. The Northwest Arctic Borough School
District applied for and received the funding, OTZ Telecom as its
chosen service provider. Service will be available at no cost to
students, school staff and library patrons in the school district’s
service area through June 30, 2023.
Alaska Communications will provide the low-latency satellite
service to OTZ Telecom and OTZ Telecom will provide Internet
service to residents. Service is expected to be available in the
next few months. More information will be available soon at
www.otz.net.
About Alaska Communications Alaska Communications, an
affiliate of ATN International, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATNI), is the leading
provider of advanced broadband and managed IT services for
businesses and consumers in Alaska. The company operates a highly
reliable, advanced statewide data network with the latest
technology and the most diverse undersea fiber optic system
connecting Alaska to the contiguous U.S. For more information,
visit www.AlaskaCommunications.com.
About OTZ Telecom OTZ Telephone Cooperative, Inc. is a
member-owned company headquartered in Kotzebue that provides
telephone, wireless (also known as "cellphone") and internet
services throughout Northwest Alaska since 1975. Learn more at
www.otz.net.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220405005391/en/
Media Contact Heather Marron Manager, Corporate
Communications Heather.Marron@acsalaska.com
ATN (NASDAQ:ATNI)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
ATN (NASDAQ:ATNI)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024