GCI is starting to install fiber internet infrastructure in King Cove and Sand Point this week. It’s the next step in the company’s multimillion-dollar Aleutian Fiber project, which connected Unalaska to high-speed fiber late last year.
GCI Rural Affairs Director Jenifer Nelson said bringing fiber to King Cove and Sand Point will mark a significant upgrade for the regional communities, which have long been dependent on less reliable satellite internet.
“Having access to reliable high-speed connectivity really opens up the gamut of employment opportunities, and people being able to stay in their home community if they want to,” said Nelson. Or “pursue a higher education from their home community. All sorts of access that hasn’t been feasible before.”
Nelson said GCI is currently seeking permission from residents to install fiber equipment in their homes. Workers are also digging trenches to lay the cable.
“We just want to make sure that every home has the infrastructure in place when they're ready to — or if they want to — have service,” she said.
Nelson said residents in King Cove and Sand Point can expect GCI to turn on their local fiber service by the end of the year.