Most of the buildings in Adak sit empty. But more than 300 of them are wired for internet, a cost U.S. phone customers are paying. A new investigation from the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica found the cost comes to more than $340,000 a year for a service no one on the island was using.
The money comes from the Universal Service Fund, a Federal Communications Commission subsidy program paid for by a fee tacked onto nearly every phone bill in the country.
Investigative reporter Kyle Hopkins spent four days on Adak in June, knocking on every door. KUCB's Sofia Stuart-Rasi spoke with him over the phone about what he found and what the story could mean for the rest of rural Alaska.
Hopkins’ story is the second in a series examining Alaska telecommunications subsidies. The reporter is asking Alaskans to share their experiences with telecom companies through a survey.
