Business
Alaska Power & Telephone Company to Receive $4.6m in BEAD Grant Funds for Fiber Optic Buildouts
Alaska Power & Telephone Company to Receive $4.6m in BEAD Grant Funds for Fiber Optic Buildouts.
About this update from Alaska Power & Telephone Co.
[{"type":"text","content":"\r\n\r\n \r\n \r\n Alaska Power & Telephone Company to Receive $4.6m in BEAD Grant Funds for Fiber Optic Buildouts\r\n \r\n \r\n\r\n\r\nAlaska Power & Telephone Company to Receive $4.6m in BEAD Grant Funds for Fiber Optic Buildouts\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n KETCHIKAN, Alaska--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\r\nAlaska Power & Telephone Company is excited to share that it has been selected by the Alaska Broadband Office to receive four grants totaling $4.6 million to help fund fiber to the home buildout projects in its rural service territories. AP&T will be providing $1.2m in matching funds. Initial construction is scheduled to commence later in 2026 pending environmental approvals.\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“We appreciate the opportunity to partner with government funders to bring critical infrastructure to the communities we serve,” said AP&T CEO Bill Marks. “By combining public investment with private expertise, we can continue expanding modern telecommunications infrastructure to more rural and remote areas of Alaska.”\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe grant funding is provided through the Alaska Broadband Grant Program, which distributes federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nAP&T’s projects will provide cutting-edge fiber optic connectivity to hundreds of rural families in the communities of Tok, Naukati, and the Goose Creek neighborhood of Thorne Bay. These projects will enable more Alaskans to benefit from new economic opportunities and an improved quality of life made possible by AP&T’s Sealink submarine fiber optic network and its terrestrial fiber backbone.\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nSenator Mike Cronk stated: “Reliable, advanced-speed internet is no longer a luxury for rural Alaska; it’s a necessity. I’m incredibly glad to see Tok receiving new investment in fiber optic infrastructure because it means faster connections for our students, better access to telehealth for our families, and new opportunities for local businesses to grow. Investments like this help ensure that communities like Tok stay connected, competitive, and strong for generations to come.”\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nOver the last several years AP&T utilized USDA ReConnect grant funds to complete the Sea...