Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: "Lou Judice, 908-562-4103 Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Telecom In Alaska Message-ID: <12106@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 13 Sep 90 14:15:22 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 27 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 642, Message 2 of 10 I recently took a vacation in Alaska (mostly the interior areas), and was fascinated by the question of how telecom services are provided there. For example, 60 miles north of the Artic Circle, in Coldfoot, AK, we were able to make AT&T credit card calls on any of the two or three phones located in this town/truckstop of 23 residents. The only seemingly possible means of communication with the outside would be satellite (there were crude downlinks in the town) or possibly sharing the Alaska Pipeline microwave system? At any rate it was pretty amazing to be WELL past the middle of nowhere and be able to make phone calls to our heart's content. In the cities (Fairbanks and Anchorage) it appeared as though the local telcos were municipal utilties. One odd thing - the phone book contained (in both cities) a two page set of instructions on what to do in the event of a nuclear attack - something I can't remember seeing in a while. As a former RCA-er, I know that Alaskcom, the long distance carrier in Alaska was formerly part of that great old company. I seem to recall it being sold to a west coast power utility in the early 1980's. Lou