Tlingit & Haida has retained Magellan Advisors to complete the broadband feasibility study which will assess developing or extending broadband services in Southeast Alaska and guide the Tribe’s broadband deployment, adoption and digital literacy goals.
Since 2019, Tlingit & Haida has been working in partnership with Southeast Alaska village tribes to secure mid-band spectrum licenses from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). These efforts were prompted by the announcement of a Tribal Priority Window from the FCC for an unassigned 2.5 GHz Educational Broadband Service spectrum. This is the single largest band of contiguous spectrum below 3 GHz. The band is suitable for both mobile coverage, fixed point-to-point uses and, depending on a tribe’s needs, can play an important role in the deployment of 4G/5G applications and services in villages.
“We are committed to working with Southeast Alaska tribes to bring reliable and affordable high-speed internet to our rural communities,” said President Richard Chalyee Eesh Peterson. “The Coronavirus pandemic really shed light on how underserved our rural Southeast Alaska communities are when it comes to having access to high-speed broadband services. It's essential for so many things in life today such as education, healthcare, public safety, governance and economic development. It's time we get next-generation internet access in Southeast Alaska.”
