RENO, NEVADA, UNITED STATES, February 15, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Rural communities in Alaska face barriers to broadband access that Quintillion is trying to change. They have built a fiber backbone along the Northwest coast and North Slope to enable Alaskans to access high-speed internet through their fiber optic cable system. Quintillion released a new guide explaining the broadband situation in rural Alaska and describing the barriers that make accessing internet services difficult in these remote areas.

There are several challenges with building broadband infrastructure in Arctic regions to support widespread access for Alaskans across the state. However, as businesses and organizations move toward more online services, it has become essential to access reliable internet.

Funding broadband infrastructure projects is one key barrier preventing affordable, widespread internet access for rural Alaskans. The guide explains how the federal government released the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to enable rural, tribal communities to build telecommunication infrastructure for telemedicine, teletherapy, eCommerce, etc. However, it can be difficult for some community leaders to learn about and access these opportunities.

With this grant money coming into tribal and state governments, another challenge is coordinating this funding and future broadband infrastructure projects. The land ownership situation in Alaska is complicated, and Alaska require a broadband office to help coordinate between local, federal, and state governments. Affordability for end users is another major barrier. Places like Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks have easier access to broadband compared to the rest of the state, which is less developed and more sparsely populated. Even in areas where there is currently fiber installed, the cost of internet services is often much higher in rural areas and many residents face capped data plans.

As broadband services are rolled out, digital literacy is another barrier preventing the adoption of internet services. The younger generations seem to adapt to the quickly changing digital landscape. However, many people in Alaska may require significant time, money, and planning to implement digital literacy training.

Finally, building and maintaining the infrastructure would be difficult and costly. Many places in Alaska don’t have fiber installed yet, and it would not be easy to build these in mountainous, remote locations. Having the resources to maintain the infrastructure would also be challenging.

Although there are barriers, Quintillion’s guide helps people understand more about broadband access and what they should focus on to improve.

The resources page offers documents and presentations to provide the community and media with information on the Quintillion project and its impact. It also includes a helpful FAQ page and Quintillion’s up-to-date blog discussing industry news and company updates. For parties interested in broadband access in Alaska, visit Quintillion’s website for more information.

Grace Jang
Grace Jang Solutions
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