Connecting Alaskans Telecommunications in Alaska from Telegraph to Broadband / Heather E. Hudson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hudson, Heather E.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Telecommunication--Alaska--History.

Telecommunication.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (350 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Fairbanks, AK : [2015] University of Alaska Press,

Language Note:

English

Summary:

“Alaska is now open to civilization.” With those six words in 1900, the northernmost territory finally had a connection with the rest of the country. The telegraph system put in place by the US Army Signal Corps heralded the start of Alaska’s communication network. Yet, as hopeful as that message was, Alaska faced decades of infrastructure challenges as remote locations, extreme weather, and massive distances all contributed to less-than-ideal conditions for establishing reliable telecommunications. Connecting Alaskans tells the unique history of providing radio, television, phone, and Internet services to more than six hundred thousand square miles. It is a history of a place where military needs often trumped civilian ones, where ham radios offered better connections than telephone lines, and where television shows aired an entire day later than in the rest of the country. Heather E. Hudson covers more than a century of successes while clearly explaining the connection problems still faced by remote communities today. Her comprehensive history is perfect for anyone interested in telecommunications technology and history, and she provides an important template for policy makers, rural communities, and developing countries struggling to develop their own twenty-first-century infrastructure.

Contents:

Introduction

Alaska's first information highway

Expansion after World War II and "the talking lady of the North"

Early broadcasting

Privatizing the Alaska communications system

The beginning of the satellite era

The NASA experiments

From satellite experiments to commercial service

Telephone service for every village

Broadcasting and teleconferencing for rural Alaska

Rural television : from RATNET to ARCS

Deregulation and disruption

State planning and policy

Alaska's local telephone companies

The phone wars

Distance learning : from satellites to the internet

Telemedicine in Alaska

A new century : the growth of mobile and broadband

Past and future connections.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781602232693

1602232695

OCLC:

922640765