Broadband Challenges in Remote Alaska
Exploring the impact of extreme geography and weather on telehealth connectivity in Alaska's most remote regions.
The Program in Alaska
The Telehealth Broadband Pilot Program in Alaska focused on six remote boroughs and census areas: Aleutians West, Bristol Bay, Dillingham, Nome, North Slope, and Northwest Arctic.
Alaska's unique geography and extreme weather conditions posed significant challenges to broadband infrastructure. Despite efforts, most locations fell below the standards required for reliable telehealth services, emphasizing the need for tailored solutions to overcome these barriers.
Insights in Rural Alaska
Explore broadband access and gaps, telehealth challenges, and opportunities for community-driven solutions.
Implementation Insights for Alaska
Effective Outreach Strategies
Remote Coordination
High travel costs to remote locations limited in-person engagement, prompting reliance on local partnerships and remote coordination. This approach facilitated 59 pod deployments across six regions.
Community-Based Recruitment
Collaborating with tribal health organizations and leveraging existing local networks helped establish trust and recruit participants.
Key Takeaways
Tailored Solutions are Essential
Alaska's geographic and weather challenges require unique approaches, such as satellite-based broadband or filtered traffic solutions, to ensure consistent internet quality.
Leverage CAIs
Stronger broadband at CAls presents an opportunity to use these facilities as centralized telehealth hubs, supporting both patients and providers.
Our Recommendations
Targeted Investments
Focus on improving broadband infrastructure in the most underserved areas, particularly for consumer homes.
Broadband Challenges
Continue to work with community organization and local governments to identify and deploy innovative broadband solutions.
Broadband Performance Variability
Very Low Overall Speeds
Median broadband speeds across healthcare sites, consumers, and other Community Anchor Institutions (CAls) were among the lowest across all TBP states. Healthcare locations reported average median download speeds of 27.1 Mbps, well below the 100 Mbps standard.
Consumer Struggles
Consumers faced the most significant challenges, with over 63% of speed tests falling below the outdated 25/3 Mbps threshold. This limited access severely restricted the feasibility of telehealth services for households.
Healthcare Connectivity Challenges
Broadband Gaps in Critical Locations
Of the 42 healthcare locations evaluated, only 6.6% of speed tests met the 100/20 Mbps benchmark, with frequent inconsistencies even at higher-performing sites.
Impact on Patient Care
Poor connectivity delayed clinical workflows, increased risks to patients, and reduced the ability to provide telehealth services.
Community Anchor Institutions as Potential Hubs
Better Connectivity as CAIs
Other CAls, such as schools and libraries, demonstrated stronger connectivity, with median speeds of 77.6 Mbps download and 67.3 Mbps upload. These institutions could act as central hubs for telehealth access.