Business
YKHC and GCI announce plans to jointly pursue federal funding for fiber internet service to Bethel
YKHC will leverage GCI's existing network to bring urban-level internet service to Western Alaska's largest rural economic hub BETHEL, Alaska, July 30, 2021
About this update from Liberty Broadband Corporation
[{"type":"text","content":"YKHC will leverage GCI's existing network to bring urban-level internet service to Western Alaska's largest rural economic hub\n\n\nBETHEL, Alaska, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC), the Tribal health organization for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, and GCI, Alaska's largest telecommunications provider, today announced that they will apply to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for a $53 million grant to launch a project to extend high-speed, low-latency fiber internet service to Bethel, Alaska. The project, which would be completed in 2024, would bring urban-level 1 gig internet speeds and service to Bethel and other communities along the fiber route and will ultimately transform internet connectivity throughout the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.\n\"Fiber's high speed and almost unlimited capacity will be substantially more affordable for the families, businesses and schools of the region,\" said YKHC President & CEO Dan Winkelman. \"Our project is truly unique and yet complementary to other regional proposals since fiber can be the backbone of any local or regional network to achieve necessary redundancy and reliability standards.\"\n\"GCI is committed to closing the digital divide in rural Alaska and has a long history of investing in rural broadband infrastructure projects,\" said GCI CEO Ron Duncan. \"Federal broadband support has never been higher and YKHC and GCI are taking advantage of this once-in-a-generation funding opportunity to deliver urban-level internet speeds to a region that, by any measure, is one of the most remote in the nation. When the fiber project is complete, Bethel residents will enjoy internet speeds as fast or faster than those offered in New York City, Los Angeles, or Chicago.\"\nBethel is the transportation and services hub for the larger Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, home to roughly 30,000 Alaskans. Situated on the banks of the Kuskokwim and Yukon Rivers, the region is the traditional home for the Yup'ik, Cup'ik, and Athabascan people. Bethel's comprehensive, Tribal health care system serves 58 federally recognized Tribes and operates 41 village clinics, five sub-regional clinics, numerous residential and outpatient treatment programs, and a regional hospital. The region's school district office, supporting 4,300 students, is based in Bethel, as...