Nushagak Cooperative high-speed internet could be coming to Dillingham before the end of the year

Dillingham on the Cusp of High-Speed Internet Revolution

Dillingham, Alaska – After a year of tenacious work, the remote Alaskan community of Dillingham is on the brink of joining the 21st century with a cutting-edge broadband connection. The project, spearheaded by the Nushagak Electric and Telephone Cooperative, will deliver lightning-fast fiber optic internet service, potentially transforming life in this previously underserved region.

"What the fiber represents is a physical connection between us and the rest of the world," said Dennis Payne, Telecom Operations Manager at Nushagak Cooperative. "It’s the first physical connection Dillingham will experience," he added, emphasizing the historic nature of the project.

Since April of last year, crews have been carefully laying the fiber-optic cable that will link GCI’s network in Levelock to Dillingham, bringing high speeds to Ekwok and Aleknagik along the way.

While initially aiming for a Spring 2024 completion, the unforgiving Alaskan terrain and intricate waterways presented significant hurdles. The cooperative, however, persevered, working closely with local villages and regulatory agencies to minimize environmental impact. A major milestone was reached in October when the fiber cable was successfully placed beneath the Nushagak River.

"Today we are well North of 75% complete with the construction," Payne reported. "The current timeline has us sometime in December completing all of our fiber splicing, fiber construction, and fiber testing."

The completion of the project will signify a monumental shift. Dillingham’s antiquated microwave system will be replaced, ushering in an era of increased reliability, significantly enhanced bandwidth, and reduced maintenance costs.

"At the end of the day, what that’s going to provide us with is some redundancy – a much more reliable, robust network. With fiber, really, the sky’s the limit," Payne emphasized.

The best part? The entire project is fully funded by grants, meaning Dillingham residents won’t bear the financial burden.

This ambitious fiber opitc project is part of a broader initiative to connect all of Western Alaska, extending far beyond Dillingham.

GCI, in partnership with the Bethel Native Corporation, will leverage this new infrastructure to further extend fiberoptic cable to 13 Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta communities, ultimately reaching coastal villages as far north as Emmonak.

"We have the subsea work that you might have seen the ships in Dillingham up to the YK delta," stated Jenifer Nelson, GCI’s Senior Director of Rural Affairs, highlighting the complex logistics involved.

Ana Hoffman, CEO of the Bethel Native Corporation, underscored the collaborative nature of this endeavor.

"These are difficult programs to administer and I’ve been able to call up people in Dillingham and people at Curyung to help support one another in working to deliver this service," Hoffman shared, demonstrating the power of community partnerships in bridging the digital divide.

With the Nushagak Cooperative aiming to activate the fiber optic connection before the end of the year and the connection to Bethel expected in early 2025, a new era of connectivity is dawning on Western Alaska.

[Image: GCI’s ship lays the fiber cable that will connect to Bethel off the coast of Dillingham. (Mike Davis / KDLG)]