Broadband, or access to high-speed communications services and internet access, is essential to economic growth in the 21st century. Families need internet access for essential services including education and health care, while businesses need it to improve their operations and reach more customers to bring new economic opportunities to left-behind communities.

Both the federal and Alaska state government are investing heavily to increase access to broadband within the state. And as a result, there are many jobs available in this sector.

What about in Alaska?

Many Alaskans do not have broadband due to a to a lack of infrastructure access or an inability to afford the service. Rural communities, low-income people, and communities of color experience the highest barriers to broadband access—and many found themselves unable to access key services online.

The Alaska Broadband Office (ABO) is responsible for managing the State of Alaska’s federal program responses to the Digital Equity (DE) Act and the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program established in the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) passed by Congress in November 2021.

These programs provide the state with funding to bridge the digital divide by building out technology neutral infrastructure and increasing capacity for unserved and underserved Alaskans by providing grants to eligible parties to build out broadband infrastructure, in a scalable, sustainable, and technology neutral manner. These efforts are ongoing now.

Jobs in this sector are both year round and seasonal (primarily for installation of broadband infrastructure in rural areas).