The entrance to the Kenai Peninsula Borough building in Soldotna is seen here on June 1. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

The entrance to the Kenai Peninsula Borough building in Soldotna is seen here on June 1. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Assembly to take up internet expansion at next meeting

The assembly will decide whether to move forward with the construction of internet towers at the Oct. 13 meeting.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly will decide whether or not to move forward with the construction of internet towers, potentially extending high-speed internet access to some rural communities on the peninsula, at the Oct. 13 meeting.

The assembly approved between $1.2 and $2 million to “support improved public access to internet through communications tower site development and through communications infrastructure grants” in June through resolution 2020-047, which outlined how the borough would use CARES Act money received from the state. The borough received proposals from Alaska Communication Services (ACS) and SPITwSPOTS, Inc. Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce was authorized to award grants via resolution 2020-058, which passed on Sept. 1.

The assembly awarded two grants in late August 2020. SPITwSPOTS, Inc. was awarded $1,537,500 for tower installation and deployment. ACS was awarded $262,500 for the upgrade of Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexers, which will deliver higher bandwidth over greater distances.

According to Kenai Peninsula Borough IT Director Ben Hanson, the borough has finalized a grant agreement with SPITwSPOTS, Inc. but is still in active negotiations with ACS.

The borough’s Purchasing & Contracting, IT, OEM and Land Management departments originally considered borough construction of communications towers, but turned the project over to commercial internet service providers who they thought would have greater knowledge of the residential areas where internet service is most lacking, Hanson said via email.

SPITwSPOTS Inc. is an Alaska-based internet service provider (ISP) that started in Homer in 2005. In response to COVID-19, the company has been actively trying to expand their coverage to students and teachers who do not have access to high-speed internet by providing them with internet installation and internet for free.

Both SPITwSPOTS Inc. and ACS have also signed the Federal Communications Commission’s “Keep Americans Connected” pledge, which FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced in response to COVID-19 and which has been signed by more than 800 companies and associations, according to the FCC.

By signing the pledge, companies agree to not end internet service for any residential or small business customers who cannot pay bills due to COVID-19, waive late fees customers incur as a result of economic situations due to COVID-19 and open Wi-Fi hotspots to any American who needs them.

During their Sept. 28 meeting, the Kenai Peninsula Borough Planning Commission recommended that the assembly enact four of the five proposed lease agreements between SPITwSPOTS Inc. and the borough. Ordinance 2020-41, which is the last step, details the lease agreements between the borough and SPITwSPOTS Inc. in five locations throughout the peninsula: Ninilchik, Nikolaevsk, Cohoe, Bear Creek and Tyonek.

The commission is recommending that the Tyonek location be removed from the ordinance because the borough does not have a “clear title” to the land.

According to Borough Acting Planning Director and Land Management Officer Marcus Mueller, the borough is encouraging SPITwSPOTS Inc. to work with the Native Village of Tyonek, which currently holds the title.

SPITwSPOTS Inc. COO McKenzie McCarthy said Tuesday that the company is interested in working with Tyonek but is still in the process of determining what would be needed to move forward with the project there.

“At this point, we’ve begun the process of engaging the Tyonek Native Village Council to see whether or not we can come to some agreement for being able to provide improved services into that community,” McCarthy said.

CARES Act money must be spent by Dec. 30 of this year.

More in News

The Kasilof River is seen from the Kasilof River Recreation Area, July 30, 2019, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
King salmon fishing on Kasilof to close Thursday

If any king salmon is caught while fishing for other species, they may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately.

Un’a, a female sea otter pup who was admitted to the Alaska SeaLife Center in June 2025, plays with an enrichment toy at the center in Seward, Alaska. Photo courtesy of the Alaska SeaLife Center
SeaLife Center admits 2 seal pups, 1 orphaned otter

The three pups join the Alaska SeaLife Center’s ‘growing’ patient list.

James Wardlow demonstrates flilleting a salmon with an ulu during a smoked salmon demonstration, part of Fish Week 2023, on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Refuge to celebrate all things fish during weeklong event

Fish Week will take place July 16-19.

President Zen Kelly speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, July 7, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
School board finalizes budget with deep cuts to programming, classrooms

Multiple members of the board said they were frustrated by the state’s failure to fund education.

Former KPBSD Finance Director Liz Hayes speaks during a Kenai Peninsula Borough School District budget development meeting at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
School district finance department earns national awards

The two awards are based on comprehensive reviews of the district’s budget and financial reporting.

Children leap forward to grab candy during a Fourth of July parade on South Willow Street in Kenai, Alaska, on July 4, 2025. (Photo courtesy Sarah Every)
Celebrating the 4th in the streets

Kenai comes out for annual Independence Day parade.

Fire crews respond to the Bruce Fire, July 4, 2025, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Alaska Division of Forestry)
Firefighting crews respond to wildfire outside Soldotna

The 8-acre fire and two “spot fires” of less than one acre each are located near Mile 102 and 103 of the Sterling Highway.

Robert Weaver was last seen at the Doroshin Bay public use cabin on June 25, 2025. (Photo provided by the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
Updated: Refuge ends search efforts for missing man

Robert Weaver was last seen near Skilak Lake on June 25.

Most Read