Spotty and sometimes nonexistent cell phone service is a familiar nuisance for anyone traveling between the Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage. But in some cases, it’s also a matter of public safety.
That’s why the Kenai Peninsula Borough has sought for years to expand cell phone coverage along parts of the Seward Highway. Now, that project is on track to happen. That’s after the borough assembly agreed last month to help pay to put up a communications tower at the top of Turnagain Pass.
The federal government is footing the bill for most of the project – a little over $2 million. But the borough’s on the hook for the remaining quarter – almost $700,000. To pay that, the borough will use money it received through the federal American Rescue Plan Act in 2022. In all, the borough received around $12 million through the post-COVID-19 pandemic stimulus bill…