Rural Alaska schools are expected to get faster internet speeds next year despite the governor’s veto of a sweeping education bill earlier this month.
With two days left before the federal grant deadline, Alaska lawmakers approved legislation giving rural schools a chance to receive federal grants to pay for internet speeds of up to 100 megabits per second — four times the current maximum speed.
At a press conference, Senate President Gary Stevens (R-Kodiak) called House Bill 193 “critical.”
“We’re hearing from schools across the state that they’re having trouble with internet speeds, and they’re having trouble teaching because they have to wait a long time for web pages to load,” he said. The bill’s swift passage proves that The Legislature can act quickly.
It is now awaiting Governor Mike Dunleavy’s signature.
The Senate passed the bill in an 18-1 vote after the bill advanced in the House last week, with Sen. Mike Shower of Wasilla dissenting. Sen. Elvy Gray Jackson, D-Anchorage, was absent for some reason.
During the Senate discussion, Shower said he supports the intent of House Bill 193 but would like to see more options for schools to choose from and allow schools to financially access it faster.
“I want to look at how we make sure we don’t limit it to fiber or satellite or any other emerging technology because this is a rapidly changing game,” he said.
He proposed an amendment that would have allowed schools to buy speeds at or below cost or even more than 100 mbps, but the amendment failed.
Sen. Lyman Hoffman, a Bethel Democrat who sponsored the Senate version of the bill, said the bill would include local control over districts choosing whichever provider they prefer, including satellite service, known as Low Earth Orbit or Low Earth Orbit Services.
“The thrust of this particular legislation is to get consistent levels…so that people in rural areas of the state can get the best broadband possible. It doesn’t eliminate local control. It doesn’t eliminate low Earth orbit, as I understand it,” He said.
That’s a key point for Sen. Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer, who said she thinks satellite services have the potential to save the state a lot of money.
Industry advocate Christine O’Connor, director of the Alaska Telecommunications Association, agreed that alternatives to fiber-optic internet, such as the satellite service Starlink, could be embraced by the federal e-rate plan. At least one school has chosen Starlink as its foundational technology for next year, and several other school districts are also considering it, she said.
O’Connor said she was excited about the passage of the legislation. “I think it’s going to be a world of difference for our schools,” she said. “25 mbps is better than no internet, but with 100 mbps they can do a lot more.”
Lisa Parady, executive director of the Alaska School Board, an umbrella group of school leaders associations, has supported the legislation since its inception and said she is enthusiastic about the bipartisan effort to increase internet speeds in rural schools. Feeling “ecstatic” about the effort.
“This is a huge step forward for most of our rural and remote schools to start providing an equal level of connectivity for all students,” she said.
Rep. Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, the lead lawmaker in the House supporting HB 193, said he heard from the governor’s office that Dunleavy might allow the bill to become law.
Dunleavy vetoed the Senate version of the legislation, Senate Bill 140, which was revised to accommodate a wide range of education policies, such as increasing per-pupil funding amounts based on a formula in state law.
With a month and a half left in the legislative session, Senate majority leadership pointed to broader questions about school funding that have gone unanswered since the governor’s veto. Stevens said there are “a lot of concerns about education” and that the Senate is waiting for the House to develop a plan.
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