GCI’s AU-Aleutians Fiber Project is a two-part project to bring 2,000Mbps internet speeds and affordable, unlimited data plans to a dozen Aleutian, Alaska Peninsula, and Kodiak Island communities, closing the digital divide and bringing digital equity to the region.
The first phase of the project is expected to cost $58 million, funded by a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture ReConnect Program and $33 million of GCI’s own capital. With its more than 800-mile-long fiber optic backbone in place, crews are working to bring Unalaska online by the end of 2022 and Akutan, Sand Point, King Cove, Chignik Bay and Larsen Bay by the end of 2024.
The work won’t stop here – as a new project ramps up to extend fiber optic connectivity to six more communities in the region. The Native Village of Port Lions, in partnership with GCI, was recently awarded a $29.3 million grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to bring urban level connectivity to Chignik Lagoon, Chignik Lake, Cold Bay, False Pass, Ouzinkie and Port Lions in the coming years.
