As part of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's commitment to unleashing high-speed infrastructure to close the digital divide, in an Order circulated for a Commission vote today, he proposes providing an additional $162 million for the Alaska Connect Fund. This additional funding builds on the work of the FCC's Alaska Plan and Alaska Connect Fund by injecting additional dollars in Alaska for the deployment of mobile broadband services. The additional dollars will be distributed to mobile providers serving Alaska on an application basis to support mobile deployment in unserved parts of the state.
Additional background information:
If adopted, the Order would establish a framework for providing $162 million in supplemental funding to Alaska Connect Fund mobile providers. This "high-cost funding" (i.e. targeting more costly locations to build communications infrastructure) would be awarded through an application-based process from the Universal Service Fund. Mobile providers participating in the Alaska Connect Fund would build and expand next generation mobile service to unserved communities in Alaska, if selected following the application process. The Order would also provide a two-year extension of Alaska Connect Fund Mobile Phase I and would direct FCC staff to host roundtable discussions with stakeholders to help ensure the Alaska Connect Fund advances the Build America agenda and universal service goals.
This $162 million in supplemental funding is in addition to the Alaska Connect Fund program, which will start in January 2027. The Alaska Connect Fund was established by the FCC in 2024 to replace the Alaska Plan program. The Alaska Connect Fund, which will distribute $203.8 million annually to fixed and mobile providers, is designed to provide predictable, long-term universal service support to address the distinct challenges of providing fixed and mobile broadband, and mobile voice services, in the hard-to-serve rural and remote areas of Alaska. It will provide ongoing support through 2034 to providers that currently receive high-cost support pursuant to the Alaska Plan. The program is designed to ensure the continued deployment of affordable and reliable high-speed broadband services to communities throughout Alaska.
Read the full press release here.