Doyon, in partnership with Alaska Communications, continues its efforts to connect five villages along the Yukon River—Beaver, Fort Yukon, Rampart, Stevens Village, and Tanana—with affordable, high-speed internet. This project, known as the Alaska FiberOptic Project, remains on track to bring household service to each community by the end of 2025. In May and June, Alaska Communications and Doyon representatives visited all five villages, meeting with residents to share updates and information about how to sign up households for service. These meetings also allowed community members to ask questions and provide input on the project.
Terrestrial construction along the Dalton Highway has begun, laying the foundation for fiber connectivity from Fairbanks to the Yukon River Bridge. Fiber construction, which connects homes and businesses directly to the fiber network, has been completed in Beaver, Rampart, and Stevens Village, marking a major step forward for local infrastructure. Network interface devices (NIDs) have been installed on the outside of buildings in these three communities, allowing residents to sign up for fiber service starting in 2025. The device, measuring 6.5 by 10 inches, will be provided free of charge. It is a required component to receive internet service, ensuring each household is ready for the connection when service becomes available.
Most of the necessary field studies, including environmental assessments and cultural resource evaluations, have been successfully conducted. Looking ahead, the project team is preparing for continued work throughout the winter and next year. Engineering consultants will establish final land routes based on information gathered from field studies. Due to scheduling changes, fiber construction in Fort Yukon and Tanana will now take place in 2025.
Alaska Communications’ fiber service will come with no equipment costs for residents. Those signing up for service will also have access to the Lifeline program, which provides a $34.50/month discount on Tribal lands.
Left: Beaver residents double-check their home addresses at the Tribal Hall during our community meeting to make sure they get connected to high-speed internet.
Right image: The new health clinic in Steven’s Village will benefit from high-speed, reliable, fiber-based internet so that it can send medical and dental images, connect with specialists, and host secure, cloud-based medical records. Pictured: Scott Johnson with ACS (left), Steven’s Village community member (middle), Cheyenne Dibert, Doyon village outreach coordinator.
