Alaska has some of the slowest internet service in the country, but it’s not for a lack of investment.
In the past decade the Federal Communications Commission has given telecom companies in the state more than $4 billion, but many Alaskans still opt for satellite service through Starlink because they say the subsidized plans are expensive and unreliable.
Some public money is padding profits for a company whose founder went to prison for tax evasion.
Here & Now‘s Scott Tong speaks with reporter Kyle Hopkins of the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica, who investigated telecom subsidies in Alaska.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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