GCI is considering a plan to lay undersea fiber-optic cable to one of Alaska’s most remote communities.<\/p>\n
On Aug. 24, a GCI contractor began seafloor surveys to figure out how practical it would be to lay a cable to Unalaska.<\/p>\n
GCI spokeswoman Heather Handyside said by phone that the surveying — performed by Terrasond Limited aboard the former Alaska State Troopers’ ship Woldstad — doesn’t guarantee a cable will be laid.<\/p>\n
“Right now, we’re in the exploratory phase,” she said. “It is the nation’s top fishing port, and increasing activity in the Arctic increases the likelihood that it will remain busy and potentially grow.”<\/p>\n
Unalaska and the Arctic in general are receiving increased attention from telecommunications firms: Melting Arctic ice is exposing waters that could allow a faster route for cable traffic between Asia and Europe.<\/p>\n
Quintillion Networks is planning a three-phase project<\/a> to connect those two continents through the Arctic. The first phase of that effort, through Alaska waters, was laid this summer, and when Quintillion-hired ships stopped in Unalaska, Quintillion vice president Kristina Woolston said the company was considering a spur to Unalaska.<\/p>\n GCI’s cable would be less ambitious an undertaking than Quintillion’s transcontinental approach. Handyside said the company is considering a line from Levelock, a small town at the mouth of the Kvichak River on the north side of Bristol Bay.<\/p>\n The line would run along the bottom of the bay and connect Unalaska to GCI’s existing network at Levelock. Handyside said the company has “no plans for a route to Japan or Asia at this time” and, unlike Quintillion, would fund the project itself.<\/p>\n