Rural telecommunications for development: Lessons from the Alaskan experience

Alaska was the first remote region to use satellites to provide reliable communications to its communities. In the 1970s, NASA satellites linked village clinics to regional hospitals and delivered educational programs to rural schools. Convinced of the value of reliable communications, the stare government mandated that telephone service be provided to every community of at least 25 residents, and provided funds for satellite equipment for 100 villages. This paper describes the Alaskan telecommunications environment today, and presents examples of applications of rural telecommunications for telemedicine, education government services and business. II then examines key policy and regulatory issues, and lessons from the Alaskan experience that are relevant for other rural and developing regions.