{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6112c6ffaae63d001577f9d8/612ff0266fa84200122d48ac?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"The Divide: MTA's Wanda Tankersley on Alaska's middle-mile problem","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/6112c6ffaae63d001577f9d8/1630531553791-7cd1771ae1e3d4300c83a66d11b87011.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>In this episode, we hear from Wanda Tankersley, chief operating officer (COO) at <a href=\"https://www.mtasolutions.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">MTA (or Matanuska Telecom Association)</a>, a telecommunications co-op in Alaska.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>We discuss the unique middle-mile challenges to providing broadband in a rural and rugged state like Alaska, as well as the company's AlCan ONE project, the first all-terrestrial fiber line connecting Alaska to the Lower 48. We also get into MTA's recent efforts to connect students to high-speed Internet, the impact of supply chain and labor shortages on its plans to expand, and more.</p><p><br></p><p><em>[Ed. note: Tankersley refers to MTA's coverage area as the size of West Virginia; however, the correct size comparison is the state of Massachusetts.]</em></p>","author_name":"Light Reading"}