READ: GCI AU Fiber Optic Network Project – forms and letter of support
Here are the letters & forms from GCI about their upcoming Aleutian Fiber project.
GCI Aleutian Fishermen Letter (PDF)
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Jan. 23, 2020
Dear Permitted Fishermen and Fisherwomen,
GCI has exciting news! As an Alaska-born-and-raised company, we have long been looking for
a way to improve internet service in the Alaska Peninsula and the Eastern Aleutian Chain. We
think a new USDA grant program called ReConnect could help us get this project rolling.
In several weeks, GCI plans to apply for a $25 million ReConnect grant for a new submarine
fiber optic network between Kodiak and Dutch Harbor, with connections to the communities
along the way. This new network would bring modern internet and mobile data services to
these communities for the first time, delivering a high-quality internet experience comparable
to that found in Anchorage and many areas of the Lower 48.
This is an ambitious project. While the grant would only cover a portion of GCI’s costs, this
funding could provide the extra capital needed to get the Aleutian Fiber Project over the
finish line.
To make this happen, we need your help. We need to show the administrator of the
ReConnect program that commercial fishermen in the Aleutians and Alaska Peninsula want
and need better internet service. Support from the communities that would benefit from this
project is a critical piece for success.
If you want to help improve the chances this funding is granted and the Aleutian Fiber Project
can move forward, please fill out and return the attached form.
By submitting this form, you are only expressing interest in better internet service for the
community and are NOT making a commitment to buy service from GCI.
When you fill out this form, please include your home port and your fishing license number,
whether that is a license from the commercial fisheries limited entry program, an IFQ, or any
other commercial permit that allows harvest and sale of a fisheries resource.
Please return completed forms by Feb. 14, 2020 to Dan Boyette. You may drop the form in
the mail using the prepaid envelope or scan and send digitally via email to
dboyette@gci.com. If you are unable to return your form using either of these methods,
please contact me at 907-250-9891 or dboyette@gci.com for alternate methods.
Thank you in advance for your support. By working together, I believe we can push this
project forward.
Sincerely,
Dan Boyette
VP, and GM AU – Aleutians Program GCI
2550 Denali Street, Suite 1000
Anchorage, AK 99503
907-250-9891; dboyette@gci.com