Adam Kiffmeyer and Billy Adamson scale a communications tower on Thursday, Jan. 7 in Nikiski, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Adam Kiffmeyer and Billy Adamson scale a communications tower on Thursday, Jan. 7 in Nikiski, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Task force to look at statewide broadband access

The task force will consist of 11 voting members and two ex officio members.

Efforts to expand broadband access across Alaska will now be spearheaded by the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband, Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office announced Thursday.

The task force will consist of 11 voting members and two ex officio members. The 11 voting members will include commissioners from the Department of Education and Early Development and the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, as well as representatives from Native and rural organizations, among others.

The two ex officio members will be chosen from the Alaska House of Representatives and the Alaska Senate and will be chosen by the Senate President and the Speaker of the House.

In establishing the task force, Dunleavy said the COVID-19 pandemic “shed light” on the need for reliable and high-speed internet access for people in Alaska, according to the administrative order.

“Closing Alaska’s digital divide is now more important than ever to meet an exponentially growing demand for bandwidth to support basic government and domestic functions, i.e., commerce, innovation, economic development, addressing quality of life issues for Alaskans,” the order says.

The task force will meet at least once a month until the task force sunsets on Nov. 30, 2022. Task force members will not receive any compensation for their work and will be expected to provide a comprehensive report on broadband in Alaska to Dunleavy by Oct. 1, 2021.

Among other things, that report should identify needs and gaps in Alaska’s current network, identify communities most in need of upgraded infrastructure, provide recommendations to fill those gaps, evaluate current broadband technologies and provide program recommendations for the equitable use of state money to develop infrastructure.

Access to broadband has been a major concern in communities across the country throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, as people were increasingly made to work from home.

Broadband expansion has been underway for months on the peninsula. The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly dedicated a chunk of their federal CARES Act money to improving access to expand rural internet access on the peninsula. In all, six towers were built in Nikiski, Tyonek, Bear Creek, Nikolaevsk, Ninilchik and Cohoe.

The assembly also recently approved a communications tower for Summit Lake.

More information on the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband can be found on Dunleavy’s website at gov.alaska.gov.

Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

Vice President Kelly Cooper speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Borough considers seasonal sales tax rate

Borough sales tax would be modified from a flat 3% to a seasonal model of 4% in summer months and 2% in winter months.

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.

Most Read