Alaska Communications Supports Hospitals, Schools and Alaska Residents, Keeping Alaskans Connected During COVID-19 Pandemic

ANCHORAGE, Alaska--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alaska Communications (NASDAQ: ALSK), the state’s leading broadband and managed IT services provider, has pledged to keep hospitals, students, teachers, government agencies and all Alaskans connected as the state works together to stop the spread of COVID-19. Alaska Communications has made the following commitments:

• We are working with Rural Health Care program participants to increase bandwidth, as needed, at no charge. The length of time will depend on Federal Communication Commission guidance and their waiver of certain rules which is currently defined through Sep 30, 2020.
• We are offering all K-12 and university students and teachers, who do not have internet, free Unlimited Internet through the end of the school year.
• We will continue to offer unlimited internet, with no data caps, to all customers as always.
• We will not terminate service to any residential or small business customers because of their inability to pay their bills due to the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
• We will waive any late fees that any residential or small business customers incur because of their economic circumstances related to the coronavirus pandemic.
• We will waive long distance overage fees as appropriate, related to the coronavirus pandemic.
• We have extended technical support hours and will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday - Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

“Our network is reliable, redundant and built to handle any increased demands in bandwidth. Alaskans can rest assured we are well prepared to support distance education. In fact, the latest two releases of the Call of Duty® video game put more demand on our network than recent events and our network continued to operate flawlessly,” said President and CEO William H. Bishop.

The Company is proactively monitoring its network and prioritizing the augmentation of network links that are over seventy percent capacity within the proceeding 24-hour period. Additionally, the Company is working with local and state utilities, governments, and educational institutions to ensure they have the resources they need to serve Alaskans and their data requirements to the Lower 48.

“We have proven business continuity plans in place to keep our networks up and running to support our communities as we all work together to manage the spread of COVID-19. We have equipped our employees to work remotely and for those whose jobs don’t allow, are practicing social distancing and CDC hygiene guidelines in all interactions,” said Bishop.

About Alaska Communications

Alaska Communications (NASDAQ: ALSK) is the leading provider of advanced broadband and managed IT services for businesses and consumers in Alaska. The Company operates a highly reliable, advanced statewide data network with the latest technology and the most diverse undersea fiber optic system connecting Alaska to the contiguous U.S. For more information, visit www.alaskacommunications.com or www.alsk.com.