Sitkans Settling In With Online Scarcity

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Category: Local News

Created on Wednesday, 04 September 2024 15:40

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Six days after GCI’s fiberoptic cable broke somewhere on the ocean bottom between Sitka and Angoon, Sitkans are finding other ways to hook up to the internet until repairs can be made to the cable, the major provider of broadband service to Sitka.
    GCI said the cable repair vessel Cable Innovator has set out from Washington and is expected to be at the site of the cable break by Sunday. Repairs may take up to six days, depending on the complexity of the situation, GCI said in its last email update.

Luke Johnson, with Tidal Network, checks the installation of a Starlink satellite dish Tuesday outside the SAFV Shelter. Johnson has been busy setting up Starlink equipment for critical service providers and essential businesses since the GCI fiberoptic cable was damaged Thursday. The Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska is loaning the equipment until the cable is repaired. (Sentinel Photo)

    GCI has not changed its plans since Tuesday, said Jenifer Nelson, GCI senior director, rural affairs.  
The break occurred around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, and GCI said the cause of the break is not yet known, and might not be known until the cable is brought to the surface. It’s also not known how long repairs will take, since it depends on the complexity of the problem, and conditions under the ocean surface.
“Fiber deployments and repairs are highly specialized and very technical,” Nelson said.
    GCI said it will get the repairs made as soon as possible, and in the meantime the company is using a series of satellite and microwave technologies to restore some basic services. While landline connections were not initially a problem, Sitkans with conventional telephone service have been experiencing difficulties in recent days.
    At the time of the cable break last Thursday Sitka and tribal governments, and other organizations with critical communication needs, as well as some private citizens, were already Starlink internet customers, using the system’s high-speed direct connection to the internet through its constellation of over 5,000 communication satellites in low orbit around the Earth.
    These Sitka locations were not affected by the fiberoptic cable break, and in many cases the owners and managers made them available to residents with urgent needs to be online.
By coincidence, the breakdown of the GCI internet service occurred at a time when an intensive program to expand broadband internet to unserved and underserved communities of Alaska was already underway in Southeast. The program is sponsored by the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. The Tlingit & Haida broadband department, called Tidal Network, made its supply of Starlink terminals available to Sitka on a triage basis, according to need.
    Starting last Friday Tidal Network loaned out a handful of Starlink systems in Sitka for essential services, and shipped about 15 more from its Juneau warehouse. The Tidal Network staff was also busy answering questions and helping with terminal setup when possible.
    Responding to the many orders from Sitka, the Starlink company website posted a message to those trying to sign up: “Starlink is at capacity in your area. Order now to reserve your Starlink. You will receive a notification once your Starlink is ready to ship.” The rates advertised for the service were $120 per month and $299 for hardware.
    The Sitka School District, like most of Sitka, lost its internet connection in the middle of the day Thursday. Over the weekend, the district IT department installed Starlink in the buildings, working closely with GCI and Starlink to get the district up and running, said District Superintendent Deidre Jenson.
    “The classrooms are slower but can still function,” she said in an email. “The offices are running on higher speed due to our Starlink connections...things are running smoothly because while the internet helps with efficiencies, our teachers are still teaching.”