Web freeze-out over for Alaska

Dog sled teams in some of the remotest villages in Alaska will soon be able to tie up at internet cafes, courtesy of a program that will bring broadband to 12 isolated villages in the nation's northernmost state.

Each of the 12 communities will get a free-access internet cafe, according to telecom service provider GCI, which will assist to bring broadband to the remote villages.

The project is funded through grants administered by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska and the State of Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development. None of the communities currently have broadband internet service.

To identify the community hub locations and to deliver training for the services, GCI is partnering with Alaska Village Initiatives (AVI), which was established to create new economic opportunities and activities in distressed Alaskan communities.

"The communities receiving the services are some of the most rural and economically challenged, with residents who do not have internet or broadband access," said AVI president and CEO Tom Harris in a statement.

"AVI's goal has always been to help improve economic conditions and opportunities for rural Alaskan communities."