Icy winter weather forced cancellation of Tidal Network’s listening session in Wrangell in December, with the tribally owned nonprofit wireless internet service provider figuring it will have …
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Icy winter weather forced cancellation of Tidal Network’s listening session in Wrangell in December, with the tribally owned nonprofit wireless internet service provider figuring it will have better luck with a summer public meeting next month.
The session is set for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 24, at the Nolan Center.
It is one of seven such sessions scheduled around Southeast May 13 to June 25, covering Hydaburg, Kasaan, Coffman Cove, Angoon, Kake and Petersburg too.
The community outreach sessions are intended to listen to community concerns and answer questions about Wi-Fi towers and Tidal Network’s plans to expand its Wi-Fi service to a wider area around Southeast.
The federal government in 2022 awarded the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska a $50 million grant to build towers and install equipment to provide wireless internet service for unserved and underserved areas across Southeast.
It built a tower at 3-Mile Zimovia Highway in Wrangell last summer — its first in Southeast — and proposed another near 13-Mile but was rejected last fall by the planning and zoning commission after neighbors objected.
The single tower at 3-Mile has a limited range; Wi-Fi operates on line of sight, and mountainsides block the signal.
Tidal Network also has encountered differing levels of opposition to its plans to put up towers in Sitka, Petersburg and Haines.
While still looking to expand its towers and coverage area, the provider is offering a one-year promotional rate of $20.26 per month, a steep discount from its regular price of $89. The rate is available only for residential customers in its limited coverage area.