The remote Yup’ik village of Akiak in Western Alaska is (finally) getting broadband. The tribal village is home to 460 residents, reported NPR, and due to the pandemic, funding for broadband is coming their way.
Akiak, which sits along the Kuskokwim River, becomes an icy highway in the winter. The remoteness of the village and its topography made high-speed internet a dream for residents until recently.
Resident Shawna Williams, who is taking college classes online, will soon be able to turn her camera on during lessons. Williams, who works full-time and is a mother of five, decided to get her college degree during the pandemic. Although she has the fastest internet plan available in the village, which costs $314 per month, it still can’t always handle video.
“The internet is so unreliable, and it’s usually too slow, especially in the evenings when I get off of work, to load even a PowerPoint,” Williams said.
But now, with the federal government allocating billions of dollars towards expanding broadband and dedicating a significant portion to tribal lands, Akiak will get “hooked up.” The village is using the coronavirus relief funding for its broadband project, and residents like Williams will pay a quarter of what they do currently for double the internet speeds and data limits, reported NPR.
Akiak also relies on low earth orbit satellites operated by OneWeb to deliver high-speed service to rural areas where fiber cables can’t reach. According to Akiak Chief Mike Williams, Sr., the pandemic has had adverse effects on learning in the village.
“The kids have lost between a year and a year-and-a-half of their education because of no technology, no internet at the home, and no remote learning,” Williams said. “We may be forced to do a lockdown again. But we’re going to be prepared this time.”
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