Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!sdd.hp.com!decwrl!hayes.fai.alaska.edu!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request
From: crawford@enuxha.eas.asu.edu (Brian Crawford)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Telecom In Alaska
Message-ID: <12252@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 17 Sep 90 19:53:01 GMT
Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu
Organization: Arizona State Univ, Tempe
Lines: 44
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 653, Message 6 of 9


In article <12106@accuvax.nwu.edu>, judice@sulaco.enet.dec.com (Lou
Judice) writes:

> I recently took a vacation in Alaska (mostly the interior areas), and
> was fascinated by the question of how telecom services are provided
> there.

Just happened to go there myself: Attended High School in Wasilla
during the late 70's / early 80's.

> 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.

Don't suppose the Anchorage Telephone Utility is still charging ten
cents for a pay phone call, are they?  They were still that low long
before the 'lower 48' went to 25 cents in most places!

If I remember correctly, my CO, Matanuska Telephone, was considered
<ahem> a "Non-Profit Organization"

> 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.

Yep.  PP&L bought them out in 1980.  Recently, Gencom (or something
else, I can't remember the exact name) took Alaskcom to court over
getting the right to offer long distance service per equal access and
won.

Phone service up there was always a little unique and was somewhat
different than the Bell System before the diversture.

They leased an entire RCA F# satellite back then.  First it was F1 I
think just after RCA F2 was first launched.  It's been a long time.
One benefit to Alaskans of this was all U of Alaska campuses and
community colleges had email ties to each other for student use way
back then, before these networks really hit it big.


Brian