Legislature(2021 - 2022)DAVIS 106
03/22/2022 08:00 AM House TRIBAL AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
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| Start | |
| Presentation: Broadband in Rural Alaska | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON TRIBAL AFFAIRS
March 22, 2022
8:07 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Tiffany Zulkosky, Chair
Representative Dan Ortiz
Representative Zack Fields
Representative Geran Tarr
Representative Mike Cronk
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: BROADBAND IN RURAL ALASKA
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
ANDY BURKE, Special Representative
Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and
Information Administration
Washington D.C.
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided a PowerPoint presentation, titled
"Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act New Funding
Initiatives," during the Presentation on Broadband in Rural
Alaska.
HALLIE BISSETT, Executive Director
Alaska Native Village Corporation Association
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-provided a PowerPoint presentation,
titled "Governor's Task Force on Broadband," during the
Presentation on Broadband in Rural Alaska.
CHRISTINE O'CONNOR, Executive Director
Alaska Telecom Association
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-provided a PowerPoint presentation,
titled "Governor's Task Force on Broadband," during the
Presentation on Broadband in Rural Alaska.
CHRISTINA SALMON-BRINGHURST, Board Member
Igiugig Village Council
Igiugig, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-provided a PowerPoint presentation,
titled "Southwest Alaska Long-haul Microwave and Optical
Network," during the Presentation on Broadband in Rural Alaska.
KARL HILL, Vice President
Igiugig Village Council
Igiugig, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-provided a PowerPoint presentation,
titled "Southwest Alaska Long-haul Microwave and Optical
Network," during the Presentation on Broadband in Rural Alaska.
ROBERT HIMSCHOOT, CEO
Nushagak Cooperative
Dillingham, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-provided a PowerPoint presentation,
titled "Southwest Alaska Long-haul Microwave and Optical
Network," during the Presentation on Broadband in Rural Alaska.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:07:24 AM
CHAIR TIFFANY ZULKOSKY called the House Special Committee on
Tribal Affairs meeting to order at 8:07 a.m. Representatives
Zulkosky, Ortiz, Fields, Cronk, and Tarr were present at the
call to order.
^PRESENTATION: Broadband in Rural Alaska
PRESENTATION: Broadband in Rural Alaska
8:08:42 AM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY announced that the only order of business would
be a presentation on Broadband in Rural Alaska.
8:08:50 AM
ANDY BURKE, Special Representative, Department of Commerce,
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA), provided a PowerPoint presentation, titled
"Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act New Funding Initiatives"
[hard copy included in the committee packet]. He discussed
President Biden's commitment to providing every American with
reliable, affordable broadband, which was realized in the
bipartisan infrastructure bill, the Infrastructure Investment
and Jobs Act (IIJA). The IIJA created $65 billion in broadband
funding with $42.45 billion going to Broadband Equity, Access &
Deployment (BEAD); $2.75 billion to digital equity programs; $2
billion to Tribal connectivity; and $1 billion to enabling
middle mile broadband infrastructure. Thus far, NTIA had made 3
$500,000 grants to Alaska Tribes with more to come. An emphasis
was being placed on providing technical assistance to Tribes.
In response to committee questions, he confirmed that BEAD and
digital equity programs were state administered, while the
Tribal connectivity and middle mile funding was deployed
directly by NTIA grants. To prevent providers from taking
advantage of the funding, the IIJA would require providers to
offer a low-cost plan for residents. He characterized the NTIA
as "tech agnostic," adding that the organization would fund any
tech with a minimum of 100 Mbps upload and 20 Mbps download
speed.
8:39:46 AM
HALLIE BISSETT, Executive Director, Alaska Native Village
Corporation Association, co-provided a PowerPoint presentation,
titled "Governor's Task Force on Broadband" [hard copy included
in the committee packet]. The Governor's Task Force on
Broadband was created by Administrative Order 322 with eight
specific tasks and two subgroups: the Technical Subgroup and the
Policy Subgroup.
CHRISTINE O'CONNOR, Executive Director, Alaska Telecom
Association, co-provided a PowerPoint presentation, titled
"Governor's Task Force on Broadband." She discussed the
following recommendations made by the Technical Subgroup:
prioritize the unserved and underserved; define gaps in
broadband service as less than 100/20 Mbps; identify middle mile
needs; give preference to fiber-optic cables; minimize disparity
in access to service; and ensure accurate maps. In response to
committee questions, she defined the "middle mile" as the
connection between communities and the long-haul connection
between Seattle and Alaska.
MS. BISSETT shared the following recommendations made by the
Policy Subgroup: establish an Office of Broadband Deployment;
establish a State Broadband Advisory Board; strengthen Tribal
partnerships; prioritize local workforce development;
acknowledge the importance of affordability; and create a
broadband parity adjustment.
9:01:53 AM
CHRISTINA SALMON-BRINGHURST, Board Member, Igiugig Village
Council, Co-provided a PowerPoint presentation, titled
"Southwest Alaska Long-haul Microwave and Optical Network" [hard
copy included in the committee packet]. The Southwest Alaska
Long-haul Microwave and Optical Network (SALMONet) was a high-
performance broadband network for Bristol Bay.
KARL HILL, Vice President, Igiugig Village Council, Co-provided
a PowerPoint presentation, titled "Southwest Alaska Long-haul
Microwave and Optical Network." The goals for SALMONet were to
provide 300/30Mbps unlimited service to 20 communities in
Bristol Bay and to provide the same level of service at the same
cost to every subscriber. Becoming a rural Alaska internet
service provider required the following considerations: local
delivery, middle mile delivery of the fiber intent backbone, and
direct internet access (DIA) to the Internet Exchange Point in
Seattle. Mr. Hill gave an overview of the network topology.
Existing regional partnerships would be critical for this
project, including NTIA grants to cover the buildout.
ROBERT HIMSCHOOT, CEO, Nushagak Cooperative, in response to
committee questions, explained that nothing was set in stone
with GCI. Connecting to GCI's network would benefit both
systems, so he reasoned that GCI would be interested in the
proposal.
MR. HILL continued the presentation by describing what a "good"
broadband service looks like, including high data transfer speed
and low latency, low contention rate, and unrestricted data
throughout. SALMONet would securing a digital future by
responding to many of the Alaska Broadband Taskforce findings:
fiber backbone with low latency; urban service equivalency;
surpassing current taskforce bandwidth targets; creation of
Alaskan training programs and jobs; and a high level of
scalability. Furthermore, the training and education
opportunities would offer digital equity for the next
generation.
9:35:01 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the
House Special Committee on Tribal Affairs meeting was
adjourned at 9:35 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SALMON Net_v4.pdf |
HTRB 3/22/2022 8:00:00 AM |
|
| 03.22.2022 AK State Legislature Presentation.pptx |
HTRB 3/22/2022 8:00:00 AM |
|
| Gov Task Force on Broadband H Tribal Affairs 3-22-2022.pdf |
HTRB 3/22/2022 8:00:00 AM |