Doyon, Limited and Alaska Communications Will Bring Affordable, High-Speed Broadband to Five Tribal Communities in Alaska
August 08 2022 - 6:00PM
Business Wire
More than 1,000 rural Alaskans in five communities along the
Yukon River will receive affordable, high-speed internet for the
first time thanks to a tribal broadband grant funded by the
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA).
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220808005809/en/
The collaboration between Doyon, Limited and Alaska
Communications will connect one of the most underserved regions in
the United States with a fiber-optic cable that will be the
foundation for expanding broadband to communities in the region.
This transformative project will give rural residents access to
virtual meetings, online classes, telehealth, and online jobs
without having to leave their village or way of life.
The communities served include Fort Yukon, Beaver, Stevens
Village, Rampart, and Tanana. Alaska Communications will deploy a
fiber-to-the-home network in each community, offering up to Gigabit
speed service at affordable rates. The network will connect to the
Alaska Communications’ core fiber network in Fairbanks, Alaska.
The project is part of the Alaska FiberOptic Project, a larger
collaboration between Calista Corporation, Doyon, Limited, Gana-A
‘Yoo Limited and Alaska Communications to connect up to 20
communities along the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers with fiber-optic
cable. This segment is the first of three segments to get
funding.
The four companies recognize that reliable, affordable,
high-speed internet is the foundation for education, healthcare,
economic growth, and quality of life. The COVID-19 pandemic
highlighted the importance of broadband and illuminated the growing
digital divide across Alaska. The Alaska FiberOptic Project will
bridge that divide for many rural communities.
“There is no better time than now to connect our communities,”
said Aaron Schutt, President and CEO of Doyon, Limited. “This
project will provide the most reliable, affordable, and fastest
internet today and for the next generation. Today’s announcement is
the first step of many, as five villages in our region will be
connected. Doyon looks to use this project as a backbone of
connectivity and continue bringing our villages online. For
generations the river has been a transportation hub, and we look
forward to continue the tradition of bringing information and goods
across our river system.”
“This is an exciting milestone for Alaska,” said Bill Bishop,
president and CEO of Alaska Communications. “We’re honored to work
with our partners on a project that will be life-changing for many
Alaskans, providing the technical expertise and experience
building, operating and maintaining critical broadband
infrastructure. We thank the NTIA along with President Biden,
Senator Murkowski and Senator Sullivan for their support bringing
this important infrastructure to our country and state.”
“Alaska’s geography, terrain, climate, and vast size have
created significant obstacles to developing broadband
infrastructure. But rural Alaska is no less deserving of
connectivity. For the first time, some of Alaska’s most underserved
communities will receive high-speed internet access made possible
by the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Grant program. The
Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 created this program and
made $980 million available for grants to eligible Native entities
for broadband deployment. Leading up to its passage, I made sure
the program would meet the unique needs of Alaska, with broad
eligibility for Native entities. I commend the partnership and
coordination of the successful applicants in securing this grant,
which will be transformational,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski
(R-Alaska).
Alaska Communications will begin the permit and construction
process as quickly as possible. It will also offer a $75/month
discount for households on qualifying Tribal lands through the
Affordable Connectivity Program. Customers can learn more and
enroll at acpbenefit.org.
Doyon, Limited
Headquartered in Fairbanks, Doyon, Limited has more than 20,100
shareholders and was established under the 1971 Alaska Native
Claims Settlement Act. Doyon has subsidiaries in oilfield services,
government contracting, and tourism, is also the largest private
landowner in Alaska and one of the largest in North America. Its
mission is to continually enhance its position as a financially
strong Native corporation in order to promote the economic and
social well-being of its shareholders and future shareholders, to
strengthen its Native way of life, and to protect and enhance its
land and resources. For more information, visit www.doyon.com.
Alaska Communications
Alaska Communications, a subsidiary 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.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220808005809/en/
Doyon, Limited Cheyenna Kuplack 907-459-2097
kuplackc@doyon.com
Alaska Communications Heather Marron 907-564-1326
heather.marron@acsalaska.com
ATN (NASDAQ:ATNI)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
ATN (NASDAQ:ATNI)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024