Legislature(2017 - 2018)CAPITOL 106
03/24/2017 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
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| Start | |
| Presentation: Broadband | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
March 24, 2017
8:05 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Harriet Drummond, Chair
Representative Justin Parish, Vice Chair
Representative Zach Fansler
Representative Ivy Spohnholz
Representative Jennifer Johnston
Representative Chuck Kopp
Representative David Talerico
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Lora Reinbold (alternate)
Representative Geran Tarr (alternate)
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Representative Mike Chenault
Representative Dean Westlake
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: BROADBAND
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
TINA PIDGEON, General Counsel
General Communication Inc.
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Responded to questions brought forward from
a previous presentation to the committee on broadband usage in
Alaska schools held on 2/15/17.
WILL JOHNSON, Representative
Alaska Satellite Internet
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided a PowerPoint presentation
entitled, "Brief Summary of Satellite Internet," [undated].
KRISTINA WOOLSTON, Vice President for External Relations
Quintillion
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided a PowerPoint presentation
entitled, "Quintillion Subsea Cable System," dated 3/24/17.
PAUL BARTOS, Principal
Star of the Northwest
Northwest Arctic Borough School District
Kotzebue, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided a PowerPoint presentation
entitled, "Star of the Northwest Magnet School," dated 3/24/17.
BRIAN ASHTON, HughesNet
Wrangell, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified and answered questions during the
presentation on broadband.
MIKE COOK, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Hughes Network Systems
Germantown, Maryland
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified and answered questions during the
presentation on broadband.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:05:34 AM
CHAIR HARRIET DRUMMOND called the House Education Standing
Committee meeting to order at 8:05 a.m. Representatives
Drummond, Parish, Spohnholz, Fansler, Johnston, Kopp, and
Talerico were present at the call to order.
^PRESENTATION: BROADBAND
PRESENTATION: BROADBAND
8:06:50 AM
CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that the only order of business would
be a series of presentations on broadband access in Alaska,
beginning with further discussion related to the previous
presentation [at the meeting on 2/15/17].
8:07:47 AM
TINA PIDGEON, General Counsel, General Communication Inc. (GCI),
offered to answer questions.
8:09:00 AM
The committee took a brief at-ease.
8:09:06 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KOPP recalled the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) [Connect America Fund] Alaska Plan included a
financial commitment to GCI of about $60 million per year, and
asked where in rural Alaska this investment in fiber optics
would be directed.
MS. PIDGEON said the funding under the umbrella of (High Cost)
Universal Service has been supporting wireline services and
wireless services for many years. In 2011, the FCC
administration process changed to focus on the support and
advancement of broadband services. Ms. Pidgeon pointed out the
network is the network whether voice or broadband, and there is
overlap between the services that has been supported by funding
in the past; however, when FCC focused the funding initiative on
broadband, it created risk to Alaska providers and changed the
funding stream available to GCI. As a result, the money in the
Alaska Plan that was historically being provided to Alaska was
"frozen." Currently, providers must focus how funds are used in
rural Alaska, without removing other service, while still
expanding into others. She said FCC has established obligations
providers must meet to keep their funding and avoid penalties
under the Alaska Plan; for GCI, most of the funding is used to
support the wireless services in rural Alaska, whether by
microwave, fiber, or satellite. Further, the initial five-year
commitment requires GCI to expand present [2 generation (2G)]
services to either 3G or [Long-Term Evolution (LTE)], which
would improve service levels for 20 percent to 30 percent of the
population. Ms. Pigeon stressed the commitment requires
maintaining the present level of service while increasing
capabilities for a percentage of the population. Compliance
also includes five-year planning for projects in the most
economical way.
8:15:51 AM
CHAIR DRUMMOND surmised the original network was established to
provide telephonic services.
MS. PIDGEON concurred, and added the programs were established
decades ago and formalized by the Telecommunications Act of
1996. At that time, the intent was to support networks and
voice telephony services, but since the advancement of networks,
the Universal Service program has changed to ensure the system
allows consumers to benefit from new broadband services. Under
the current plan formulations, there are specific goals related
to broadband that are tied to the funding.
CHAIR DRUMMOND asked, "How is the network the network?" when
phonelines have different capabilities than broadband, cable,
and fiber.
MS. PIDGEON explained in many ways the same fundamental
infrastructure is used to carry a broadband service or data
bits; in fact, when transitioning from voice to broadband, the
capability of an existing network is not removed, but improved.
CHAIR DRUMMOND observed once the network is extended to a
community then it can be improved with new technology.
MS. PIDGEON agreed.
CHAIR DRUMMOND asked for further information on the funding that
was frozen.
MS. PIDGEON said categories of funding have been [withheld] in
response to a carrier's costs or level of service; however, the
funding remains dedicated to the Alaska network. For example,
funding may be subject to nationwide competition, and in head to
head competition with other states, Alaska might have lost
funding, thus FCC "froze the funding in place" and established
commitments for carriers to reach, while providing a level of
support so that carriers can plan to make advances in service
over a certain period of time.
CHAIR DRUMMOND concluded instead of competing with Lower 48
providers, FCC made an effort to treat Alaska as a unique
market.
MS. PIDGEON said correct. In further response to Chair
Drummond, she said she would provide to the committee a set of
firm commitments between GCI and FCC about improvements in
service, both in network and levels of performance, and the
percentages of populations benefitting from improvements at the
five- and ten-year periods. She advised a map of which specific
communities would be affected is unavailable.
8:23:55 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH noted the cost of data varies widely and
asked whether commitments have been made as to the affordability
of communication services.
MS. PIDGEON acknowledged the affordability issue is a continuous
challenge and the ultimate goal is to ensure that users have
access to broadband. For mobile broadband, GCI offers statewide
plans; however, wireline plans differ, and GCI seeks to address
the affordability issue and to ensure reliable service.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON questioned how this situation is similar
to the challenges overcome by the [Rural Electrification Act of
1936].
MS. PIDGEON was unsure. Regarding service to challenging
locations, the situation is similar as to how to ensure the
delivery and maintenance of services to rural areas. She
suggested upcoming technological advancements that could make a
difference are on the horizon.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON commented that rural electrification and
improvements to broadband services both were initiated to serve
communities that [did not or] do not have significant economic
capacity.
CHAIR DRUMMOND pointed out the difficulties of a network
connection to rural Alaska.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON suggested the use of satellites.
8:29:06 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KOPP asked whether GCI is exploring partnerships
with Quintillion.
MS. PIDGEON declined to respond to decisions regarding
arrangements with a particular company, but acknowledged that
avenues for expansion and partnerships are routinely assessed.
REPRESENTATIVE KOPP noted GCI receives public funding and has
commitments to expand; Quintillion offers huge capacity to
villages in the northwest Arctic, and GCI could benefit.
8:31:12 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FANSLER recalled previous testimony that a
regulatory structure within the state is inhibiting the buildup
of the networks.
MS. PIDGEON was unsure of the specific reference, and added that
there are varying levels of regulatory oversight related to
permitting, siting, and the ability to deploy networks, thus
providers seek a timely and reasonable [regulatory] process. In
further response to Representative Fansler, she said regulations
can at any time be improved to provide greater certainty; from
GCI's perspective there are no particular regulations that have
prevented GCI's progress. She cautioned although, in general,
regulations need review over time, changes can introduce
additional uncertainty.
8:34:58 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH asked for a further description of the
options available to GCI in a partnership with Quintillion.
MS. PIDGEON said network providers can arrange to "swap
capacity."
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH observed electrical utilities are required
to share capacity and asked whether broadband utilities do so.
MS. PIDGEON said there are different practices and standards of
law that apply, but they may differ from that of electrical
utilities.
8:36:46 AM
The committee took a brief at-ease.
8:37:48 AM
WILL JOHNSON, Representative, Alaska Satellite Internet, said he
is a 30-year resident of Alaska. Mr. Johnson said the Jupiter
II satellite was launched in December, [2016] and is in a
successful final orbit. He provided historical background
information on satellites, beginning in 1957 with the launches
of Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2 by Russia. He observed the first
rockets and satellites were small (slides 1-3).
8:42:42 AM
The committee took a brief at ease.
8:43:43 AM
MR. JOHNSON said the U.S. unsuccessfully attempted to launch the
Vanguard TV3, weighing only three pounds. On 3/17/58, a U.S.
Vanguard satellite weighing 3.2 pounds was launched successfully
and remains in orbit (slide 4). He provided the following
definitions used to describe satellites (slide 5):
· Low Earth Orbit (LEO); 100-1,240 miles up
· Medium Earth Orbit (MEO); 1,240 miles up to below GEO
· Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO); 22,300 miles up
· Highly Elliptical Orbit (HON)
MR. JOHNSON directed attention to Iridium satellite phones that
were first made possible by a 64 satellite [constellation] from
Motorola. One satellite has been destroyed by a midair
collision. The satellite phones provide text and phone, have
international numbers, and relay signals from ground to
satellite and then to the ground station. He described the cost
and availability (slide 6).
8:48:35 AM
MR. JOHNSON said the next satellite for phone use in Alaska was
provided by the Globalstar [constellation], which is currently
available and provides text, voicemail, and Internet, and relays
from ground to satellite and to a ground station. He described
the cost and availability (slide 7). Both Iridium and
Globalstar phones utilize LEO satellites. The GEO Inmarsat
satellite phones provide clear audio, do not work near the North
Pole or South Pole, are very expensive, and are not commonly
used in Alaska (slide 8). He explained Globalstar then produced
the Spot locating device for application in Alaska. The Spot
devices can be used to locate someone in an emergency, can
establish one-way communication, and are inexpensive (slide 9).
Globalstar also has an asset tracking device available called
Trace.
8:52:33 AM
CHAIR DRUMMOND asked for the range of the devices.
MR. JOHNSON explained the satellites are high enough to work
very well in Anchorage. Spidertracks were developed for the
aviation industry, provide text, global coverage, and are more
expensive (slide 11). A portable device for two-way
communication is inReach, which provides text and email,
emergency locating, and is relatively inexpensive (slide 12).
MR. JOHNSON informed the committee it is very challenging to
provide satellite services in Alaska. Challenges to providing
service include: logistics for shipping; large land mass;
economics; FCC requirement for certified installers; ground
movement, wind, and cold temperatures; environmental conditions;
off grid power situations that are unstable; low look angles
from satellites that are located at the equator; the O3B network
is only available in the middle latitudes; TV dealers bundle
with satellite Internet (slide 13).
8:58:40 AM
MR. JOHNSON reported Starband was one of the first satellite
networks for consumers in Alaska but is no longer available,
however, several of its antennas have been repurposed for other
satellite services (slide 14). With the exception of the
Aleutian Islands and the Pribilof Islands, available today in
Alaska is the HughesNet Gen2. The HughesNet Gen2 was the first
"two-way," and the satellite returns the signal to the Internet.
He said the satellite is a Horizons 1 GEO satellite that uses a
reflector and provided more information as to cost and
availability (slide 15). Mr. Johnson advised consumers seek
unlimited access over speed. Slide 16 was a map depicting the
coverage of the Horizons 1 satellite, and he advised for a large
part of Alaska, the Horizons 1 is "all we have." Another
consumer satellite for Internet access in Alaska is Exede, and
the characteristics include: high and in a good location for
Alaska; band of coverage from Prince William Sound to Kotzebue;
good performance, relatively; price range from $60-$150 per
month; speed increase expected; easy to install and service, but
a certified installer is required due to the possibility of
damage to the satellite; .74 meter antennas work in the beam and
larger antennas work outside the beam (slide 17). Slide 18 was
a map that depicted the Exede spot beam.
9:07:00 AM
MR. JOHNSON continued to the HughesNet Gen5 satellite which is
the most powerful broadband satellite launched to date, and he
provided further information on pricing and specifications
(slide 19). Slides 20-22 depicted Hughes Jupiter 1 and Jupiter
2 spot beams. For schools and libraries, Ku band Enterprise
Services are intended for larger entities where cable is not
available; specialized options that are not available through
consumer services are also possible (slide 23). Enterprise
Service providers include: Hughes HX, Switch, Galaxy, iDirect,
Exede Business, Starband, and Network Innovations (slide 24).
Innovations coming in the future to Alaska include new types of
antennas, and LEO and GEO satellites working together to
facilitate low latency applications, so every customer will have
the benefits of two satellites (slide 25).
9:11:16 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ asked Mr. Johnson to clarify low
latency.
MR. JOHNSON explained there is a time delay when data travels
through space and returns to earth; the time delay is latency,
which is affected by the speed of the connection: high latency
and low speed creates a poor connection, and the roundtrip time
is approximately one-half second. Mr. Johnson turned attention
to concerns about whether low altitude satellites work and
pointed out they already service satellite phones that currently
carry data and voice. Many more satellites will be needed, and
there are big companies with "big money" interested in providing
satellite coverage. He expressed confidence that as early as
2018, satellites will be in place. Future satellites will be
mass-produced and inexpensive; polar orbiting satellites could
possibly launch from Alaska (slide 25). Slides 26 and 27 were
images of antennas. Slide 28 was a list of LEO satellite
providers.
9:15:44 AM
KRISTINA WOOLSTON, Vice President, External Relations,
Quintillion, provided brief personal background. She informed
the committee Quintillion is headquartered in Anchorage, is a
privately funded company, and its project is privately funded by
investors including Alaska investors such as Arctic Slope
Regional Corporation. Quintillion is building and will operate
a multi-phase fiber optic cable network that will begin in
Alaska and subsequently connect Alaska with Asia, Arctic Canada,
and Europe. Quintillion will sell wholesale capacity on its
system that will encourage competition and participation by
multiple telecom service providers. Capacity will be delivered
at 50-90 percent price reductions - when compared to microwave
and satellite - and service will begin in and around Alaska in
2017 (slide 2). Slide 3 was a map which showed the three phases
of expansion: Phase 1 is almost complete; Phase 2 will expand
the network from Nome to Asia; Phase 3 will expand from Prudhoe
Bay through the Northwest Passage to Europe. She pointed out
each phase is financially independent and viable, and the system
is designed as a trunk and branch configuration. Slide 4
provided a view of the Alaska system, and she explained a trunk
and branch configuration means each branch moves into a
community; for example, routes into Nome and Kotzebue are
completely independent of other branches, unlike a "daisy chain"
configuration. Phase 1 is anchored by a system from Fairbanks
to Prudhoe Bay, and in 2016 most of the work was completed. Ms.
Woolston stated this is the beginning of the Quintillion system
in Alaska and there are plans for expansion.
9:20:38 AM
MS. WOOLSTON turned attention to pricing and noted the
challenges of bringing fiber optic cable (fiber) to certain
areas; however, fiber is the best backhaul [transporting data to
a distribution point] option because it has unlimited capacity.
The Quintillion system is designed for 10,000,000 megabits per
second (Mbps) per fiber pair, with the ability to triple
capacity. The cost of construction is higher, particularly in
Arctic regions, but due to the design and longevity of the
system, the cost of operation and maintenance is lower and
drives down the total cost of fiber. In addition, the system is
complementary with existing communications infrastructure in
rural Alaska (slide 6). Ms. Woolston said the benefits and
applications for fiber include: education; health care;
government; economic development; emergency response; public
safety; national strategy (slide 7).
9:23:27 AM
MS. WOOLSTON informed the committee the investors in the project
directed Quintillion to build and operate the system, so
Quintillion acquired the assets of Arctic Fibre for the
construction phases; design and installation take about 4.5
years. Construction and installation into [Utqiagvik],
Wainwright, Point Hope, Kotzebue, and Nome is complete, except
for a small segment, and the system will be monitored over the
winter for risk factors (slide 9). As part of risk-mitigation,
she described how cable landings are bored and drilled,
beginning at the shore, and the fiber is buried in conduit to
minimize shoreline disruption to the communities. The cable is
made of high quality glass and is protected by coating and
armoring. Many local companies have been contracted to install
the system such as New Horizons Telecom, Inc., and others.
Alcatel-Lucent Submarine was chosen to design, build, and
construct the subsea system due to its success with repeaters
that mitigate latency (slide 10). Slide 11 was a diagram of the
fiber to illustrate how it is constructed.
9:27:00 AM
MS. WOOLSTON addressed the time and planning required for the
project. Two years of marine surveys with geotechnical and
geophysical studies have revealed risk factors along the cable
route such as gold dredges in Nome and ice scouring off the
Arctic coastline. Also, a significant amount of time was
invested in permitting and easements, and Quintillion was the
first to complete this process (slide 12). Slide 13 listed
typical risks and mitigation plans. Although human interaction
is the biggest risk to subsea cables elsewhere, subsea ice
gouging is the greatest risk in Alaska. For example, off the
North Slope ice breaks and gouges the seabed; after mapping
historical gouging, Quintillion designed its system with a cable
buried deeper than any historical ice gouging. Also, the system
has dual redundant network equipment that can be repaired if
necessary. Ms. Woolston provided slides of ships laying cable
and digging a cable trench (slides 14 and 15). Slides 16 and 17
showed tug boats moving ice during cable installation. Slides
18 and 19 showed cable-laying ships.
9:31:20 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FANSLER surmised Quintillion will provide
infrastructure, and then sell or lease capacity to providers.
MS. WOOLSTON said correct. Quintillion does not provide
telecommunication services to consumers.
REPRESENTATIVE FANSLER asked at what point the cable system
would reach maximum capacity.
MS. WOOLSTON said Quintillion believes there is unlimited
capacity for the Alaska market.
REPRESENTATIVE FANSLER commented that there is enthusiasm for
the project with hope that further expansion into Western Alaska
is planned.
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ asked in what quarter of 2017 Phase 1
will come online.
MS. WOOLSTON said Phase 1 is expected to be operational in the
4th quarter [of 2017]. Construction will begin in August,
followed by confidence testing, and finally service providers
would have access.
9:35:33 AM
PAUL BARTOS, Principal, Star of the Northwest Magnet School,
Northwest Arctic Borough School District, provided a PowerPoint
presentation entitled, "Star of the Northwest Magnet School."
The committee took an at-ease from 9:35 a.m. to 9:36 a.m.
9:36:55 AM
MR. BARTOS informed the committee the Star of the Northwest
school (Star) is located above the Arctic Circle in Kotzebue,
which is the hub community for the Northwest Alaska region
(slide 2). In its second year of operation, Star is a fulltime
boarding school for Alaska high school students primarily in
eleventh and twelfth grades (slide 3). The students at Star are
supported by the University of Alaska (UA) and - through the UA
system - are provided dual enrollment. Star students can also
take courses through the Alaska Technical Center and Kotzebue
High School. He said one of the ways Star utilizes technology
is by streaming important basketball games through its home page
to all villages and communities in the region. Further, Star
school is supported by the Northwest Arctic Borough School
District, which provides video teleconferenced instruction from
teachers throughout the district.
MR. BARTOS continued to explain Star offers its students
fulltime enrollment and noted nine of its twelve graduates are
continuing to higher education at UA Fairbanks and UA Anchorage.
Also offered to students are ReadySTAR programs that are two-
week intensive courses which provide exposure and focus on four
topics, and he gave an example of the school's use of technology
in support of a hearing-impaired student. Mr. Bartos advised
the dorm at the school is utilized year around; during the
summer the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANCEP)
will have a program in Kotzebue for sixth-grade students, and
also teachers new to the region will attend camp there. He
further explained the structure of Star school offers students
four pillars [of high-paying career choices]: education,
process technology, culinary arts, and healthcare (slide 4). A
partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) provides
opportunities for students to explore unique job placements.
Star also offers certifications, such as safe food handler, that
can be used to obtain summer employment. Mr. Bartos stressed
the component of relevancy: motivation for students to attend
school and reap the rewards of their work (slides 5-6). For
example, the education pillar is offered to address the lack of
teachers in the state. He related fifteen Star students are
participating in a competition in Anchorage using technology.
The Northwest Arctic Borough School District (NWABSD) will be
offering three video conferencing classes statewide this fall,
and Mr. Bartos advised Star seeks to expose students to the
latest curriculum and the latest technology with customized
schedules; in fact, two students from Kivalina have completed a
millwright program and will be employed at the Red Dog mine
(slide 6).
9:44:08 AM
MR. BARTOS advised Star is fortunate to have industry-qualified
certificated instructors working with and supporting its
students. He turned to Internet technology and related
PowerSchool is Star's interface for day-to-day operations such
as attendance and academics, and the system would not work
efficiently if there were latency in the connection. Students
use the Canvas learning systems, which can be accessed in the
dorm, thus learning continues even when students are not in the
classroom (slide 7). Further, the school provides the same
Internet services as urban districts with .015 percent of
Internet strength by filtering firewalls. Students are
currently provided 69 kilobits per second (Kbps) and the school
seeks to provide 100 Kbps; to reach this goal NWABSD would
accrue additional costs of $164,000 per month (slide 7). He
noted the school has grown from zero students and applications
in fiscal year 2015 (FY 15), to twenty applications and twenty-
five fulltime students in FY 17; Mr. Bartos stated his pride in
Star school and its programs (slide 8).
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH pointed out Kotzebue will be served by the
Quintillion fiber network, and asked how the new connection
would affect the schools Internet speed and cost.
MR. BARTOS advised the Kotzebue Internet connection is currently
slower because Kotzebue has more students than other areas. The
new connection will provide equal Internet usage for Star
students.
REPRESENTATIVE KOPP asked if there could be additional federal
communications partnership opportunities should USCG expand its
operations in Kotzebue.
MR. BARTOS said Star school seeks to grow and add a fifth pillar
for career opportunities in transportation, both maritime and
aviation that would utilize a partnership with USCG.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON inquired as to the possibility that Star
school may consolidate with Chukchi College.
MR. BARTOS deferred the question to his supervisor.
CHAIR DRUMMOND returned attention to slide 7 which indicated
$164,000 per month is needed to bring NWABSD up to the FCC 2014
short term goal. She asked for the school's present cost [for
Internet access].
MR. BARTOS offered to provide the requested information.
9:51:30 AM
BRIAN ASHTON, HughesNet, informed the committee he helped
introduce the HughesNet company into Alaska about 10 years ago.
He advised a new Internet satellite just coming online is the
most powerful in the world, although there are many areas in
rural Alaska the satellite will not reach because of its
position. However, HughesNet plans on launching additional
satellites about every three years and for 20 percent of the
funding FCC has for Alaska, HughesNet could launch a new
satellite as powerful as Jupiter II to cover all Alaska, and
exceed FCC's goal. He stressed legislators should ask FCC to
update its Alaska Plan, look at all the options available, and
find the best infrastructure design for Alaska at the best
price.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON asked whether Mr. Ashton is aware of low
orbital satellite technology usage related to social media.
MR. ASHTON said yes.
[Mr. Aston repeated comments for the benefit of upcoming
speakers.]
9:55:53 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON restated her question, suggesting that
Alaska could participate in pilot projects since there are fewer
satellites in place in the Northern Hemisphere.
9:56:19 AM
MIKE COOK, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Hughes
Network Systems, informed the committee Hughes Network Systems
(Hughes) is the operator of the HughesNet satellite Internet
service which is available across the U.S. and elsewhere in the
world. HughesNet has about one million subscribers and provides
direct Internet access to homes. Currently, Hughes is
activating HughesNet Gen5 service using an Echostar 19 satellite
launched December, 2016. The satellite is the biggest data
communications satellite in the world, and he described the
satellite's capabilities that will result in service plans for
Alaska that will meet FCC broadband specifications.
MR. COOK, in response to Representative Johnston, referred to
lower orbiting systems, and advised Hughes is building
infrastructure for the OneWeb system which is a system of
hundreds to thousands of constantly orbiting satellites that
work together to always keep subscribers' devices within range.
He further explained lower orbiting systems provide coverage for
the entire globe, and an additional benefit to Alaska from the
OneWeb system is that the satellites are in polar orbits.
Additional benefits of lower orbiting systems are greater
coverage and less latency, however, the capacity of each LEO
satellite is not as great as that of a larger satellite. Mr.
Cook said the OneWeb system has funding and will use the newest
technology in its system, which is expected be operational
before 2021.
10:02:15 AM
MR. COOK continued, noting the current state of communication
satellite technology also provides for large satellites with 300
gigabits per second capacity. Future technology will make the
system much more capable than the service plans are offering,
and the capabilities are expected to increase further within 5
years. Service can be delivered directly to consumers' homes or
can provide backhaul links to local areas that are not connected
by cable.
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ asked how the cost of launching a new
satellite compares with other broadband services, and how the
speed of the data compares.
MR. COOK responded satellites come in various sizes; a LEO
satellite is relatively inexpensive, but many are needed to
provide service. In terms of order of magnitude, a satellite
that cost $500 million is expected to operate for about 15 years
and will deliver about 220 gigabits per second, or roughly $200
million per gigabit. However, a satellite for Alaska could be
built to concentrate the available capacity and be the right
size, capacity, and cost, or an Alaska entity could acquire a
"hosted payload" on another company's satellite. Mr. Cook said
there are several options to deliver the desired service at an
acceptable cost.
10:08:55 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH asked whether the typical life span of the
Echostar 19 is about 15 years.
MR. COOK said yes, for a geostationary satellite; however, the
orbit decays more quickly for lower orbit satellite systems. In
further response to Representative Parish, he clarified a
satellite should be launched as close to the equator as possible
for optimal launch characteristics, although, a satellite could
be designed to best meet the needs of the market in Alaska.
10:11:25 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 10:11 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Quintillion.pdf |
HEDC 3/24/2017 8:00:00 AM |
|
| Quintillion AK Leg House Education Committee Presentation.pdf |
HEDC 3/24/2017 8:00:00 AM |
|
| AK Satelitte Internet.pdf |
HEDC 3/24/2017 8:00:00 AM |
|
| ADN Article.pdf |
HEDC 3/24/2017 8:00:00 AM |
|
| NWABSD Education Commitee Presentation.pdf |
HEDC 3/24/2017 8:00:00 AM |