Module VI - American Period: Transportation & Communication

Essential Question:  What are issues facing Alaskans today related to transportation and communication?

Renda preparing to unload fuel for Nome.

The issues today are the same ones that have always faced Alaskan inhabitants.  Even with modern advances in technology, there are many obstacles that have been and need to be faced to advance transportation and communication. Some have been overcome to a greater degree than others, but all still create challenges.  The vast size of the state continues to be a factor.  Not just because of the great distances involved, but like most things in today's world there must be an economic reward at the end of the day in order for something new on the horizon to materialize into reality.  Such is the case in most of Alaska.  It must be profitable, or at the very least subsidized by the government, in order to happen. Due to small populations, dollars are lost and not gained when making advances in communications or transportation to much of the state.  Climate/weather conditions, geography, and topography all conspire to create situations and circumstances that are completely foreign to other parts of the country.  Hence the need for federal subsidies that can be fickle and unreliable.  (More on this in the next section of the blog.)

Examine Question: What are the primary communication systems in Alaska today?

The two most commonly used are the postal system and telecommunications.  Each has evolved and developed over time.  Each can be considered a work in progress and as technology advances, the economy fluctuates, and politics stays politics, it is unlikely that the work will ever be considered finished.

Chicken Alaska Post Office

Even with it's rich history of deliveries by boat, dog sled, and eventually airplane, the postal system in Alaska is the center of controversy.  On November 28, 2012, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General released a statement questioning the current feasibility of the Alaska Bypass System.  (Defined in the statement:  "This intra-Alaska system allows businesses in Anchorage and Fairbanks to ship directly to rural customers (usually retail merchants) using a hub-and-spoke system. Major airline carriers take food items and other cargo on pallets to hub airports.  Smaller airline companies or independent pilots then break down these pallets and deliver to remote bush sites.")  The Alaskan delegation, comprised of Senators Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich and Representative Don Young, in turn issued a rebuttal.

AKORN Cable Alaska Communications Systems Group, Inc.

Telecommunications also has a diverse history in Alaska.  From the telegraph to telephone to radio to television and satellite communications, Alaska has attempted to keep up with the rest of the country.  (AT&T Alaska offers a timeline of communications in Alaska that puts things in perspective.)  Again, the vastness of the state has presented some pretty daunting obstacles.  However, Alaska being the state of ingenuity and resourcefulness has been up for the challenge.  As depicted in the graphic, Alaska Communications Systems (ACS) has finished the Alaska Oregon Network(AKORN) cable project. This new submarine cable starts at Anchorage, Alaska and ends at Florence, Oregon.

Extend Question:  How adequate are the systems in your region of the state?

Considering that most of the Kenai Peninsula is on the road system, communications here are in pretty good shape.  As is shown in the graphic to the left, cell phone service is quite comprehensive, even though from first hand experience there are MANY dead spots.  Also, even as I write this, my son is watching cable TV.  (I must admit that the little bit of March Madness that I have been able to watch was nice to be seen live.)

Down the street from where I live is a large post office.  Another personal glitch in communications occurred when my wife and daughter tried to send my son and I a care package that got destroyed and then was returned to sender.  However, the rest of our mail has arrived unscathed and I will attempt to not hold the loss of the package against the post office even though it contained homemade cookies.

Three Blog Reviews:

Alaskan History:  A Newcomers Perspective
Claire raised some interesting points about the responsibility that comes from exploitation of resources.  Salmon and steelhead resources on the Idaho/Oregon border were lost due to the leap before you look philosophy of hydroelectric generation on the Snake River.

Diane is exploring Alaska
Diane made two statements that really connected with me.  The first was you were right when you said "Because economic barriers stall the building of roads and railroads, people like Carl Ben Eilsen took on the challenge of bring aviation to Alaska. Bless his heart!"  I felt the same way.  The other thing was that even though we think that we are pretty secure, Alaska is not yet a priority for icebreakers.

Learn Alaska or Bust
Chris stated that some Alaskans already feel that too many tax dollars are already being spent on rural areas of the state.  It certainly makes one think.  However, some from the lower 48 might think the same way about Alaska as a whole.

Evaluate:

Map of IRLP nodes in South Central Alaska

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed after reading through this blog.  As a radio amateur (my license plate on my SUV reads K7GRW denoting my call sign) also known as a ham radio operator, I was hoping to read and learn more about ham radio in Alaska.  I know that at least for emergency communications, ham radio has been an essential means of communications in times of disaster.  Even though communications in Alaska have come a long ways since 1964, amateur radio played a big part in relief efforts for the Alaskan earthquake.  Just over a year ago, during the big winter storms that hit the eastern seaboard, the military relied on hams to send and receive critical transmissions because they couldn't get their satellite communications systems to work.  Also, following the Haitian earthquake, ham radio over the internet known as the Internet Relay Linking Project (IRLP) was used extensively for communications.  Even on my trips back and forth to Ninilchik, I have been able to hear other operators all the way from Nome to Houston, Texas through the IRLP.