At GCI, we continually evolve to support our customers by delivering the most robust communications infrastructure in Alaska. We take our role and responsibility in providing ongoing connectivity very seriously. At times, the maintenance and expansion of our network can cause some unavoidable short-term disruptions, as is the case with the Satellite In-Orbit Protection Project.
To ensure we can continue providing you the fastest, most reliable service possible, we are undertaking a major project to move our rural services to a new backup satellite. GCI uses backup satellites to protect against service interruptions in the event of a problem with the primary satellite. But every satellite has a limited operating time, after which its orbit starts to deteriorate, and the connection becomes unreliable. GCI is committed to maintaining communications for all of our communities in Alaska, which is why we need to migrate backup for your GCI services to a new satellite.
Several GCI services in some of our rural communities will be down for a 4-hour period while crews work to re-point our local satellite dishes to a new satellite.
We are highly sensitive to travel concerns during this health crisis. In our role as part of Alaska’s critical infrastructure, in addition to following all state and local requirements, we have adopted an intrastate travel policy that provides an extra layer of protection to our employees and the communities we must enter. Before traveling to remote communities around the state, we reach out to local leadership to ensure our presence will be welcome and that we are aware of any special concerns or requirements. While present, we follow our own internal health and safety guidance, limit contact with community members wherever possible, and follow all safety protocols set out by community leaders.
The Project Schedule identifies which services will be affected, in which communities, and when the work is scheduled to occur. We will keep this schedule updated to the best of our ability to allow you to plan for the impacts to your services. The following list describes what you should expect to experience from each affected service during the 6- to 10-hour period that crews are at work in your community:
911 Emergency Calling
911 calls made from mobile phones in your community will be unavailable. However, 911 calls made from landlines should remain available. Please do not “test” whether 911 calling is available. 911 should only be called in the case of an emergency.
Internet
Internet service may be completely unavailable. If service does not resume after 6-10 hours, please contact GCI.
Mobile
You may experience a complete loss of mobile phone services (including voice, data, texting, and some apps that rely on data connectivity). If your service does not resume after 6-10 hours, please restart your mobile device.
Long Distance
GCI long distance service may be completely unavailable. However, for an additional charge, you can place a long-distance call through AT&T by dialing 1010288 + 1 + area code + number.
Why is GCI engaging in this project?
This project was initiated to replace a backup satellite that was approaching end-of-life. The outcome of this project is to improve network reliability and prevent a lengthy outage to dozens of rural communities in Alaska. GCI is introducing new backup satellites into our network and establishing a new earth station in Kodiak to join our network of satellite hubs in Eagle River and Fairbanks. Executing this project will require a significant, coordinated effort to realign many satellite dishes across Alaska.
Who will be affected?
This project is specific to satellite-served regions. Many rural Alaskan communities are supported by GCI’s satellite network. This means that your mobile phone, internet, and long-distance services are delivered through satellite dishes, which communicate with each other to send and receive information. If you live in a satellite-served community, you will likely be affected by changes to our satellite network while we conduct this project. Communities served by our TERRA network will not be affected as significantly as those that rely solely on satellite connectivity. Check the Project Schedule to see if your community is affected.
Why is work being performed during the day?
Normally, we would perform service-impacting work overnight but because of safety concerns for our technical crews, we need to perform this work during the day.
When will my community be affected?
Due to unpredictable weather and the complexity of this project, schedules are subject to change. View the Project Schedule to learn the expected impact to your community.
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