Alaska’s vast landscapes and remote villages continue to stress digital connectivity, but federal programs are accelerating fiber, wireless, and subsea cable work to close the digital divide.
During a tour that began in Bethel and Eek and moved to the Kenai Peninsula, FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty met with local educators and health providers, including the Ayaprun Elitnaurvik Cultural School and the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, and inspected wireless infrastructure sites.
On the Kenai Peninsula, she visited Central Peninsula Hospital, observed how federal funding supports rural health services, and later saw fiber deployment projects in Wasilla, where operators shared progress in extending high-speed connections.
The trip also included a stop in Juneau to review a subsea cable landing station and to discuss federal-state partnerships with Alaska’s governor and municipal leaders, underscoring the breadth of the connectivity program.
Trusty stated that expanding access in Alaska is especially challenging due to terrain and distance, but she pledged to work with her FCC colleagues to ensure all Alaskans can participate in the 21st-century digital economy.
“Broadband connectivity is a game-changer in rural America,” she said, emphasizing Alaska’s role in the national effort to close the digital divide.
Trusty also met with U.S. senators and the Alaska Municipal League to discuss policy and funding priorities for ongoing buildouts across the state.
