Sitka’s planned internet outage was shorter than predicted. The internet company GCI announced Monday morning (3-17-25) that it completed repairs to the fiber optic cable that provides internet and cellular service to most of Sitka.
Many Sitkans have had limited internet access since last Thursday morning when GCI switched over to a backup system that provided basic call and text service while it made repairs to the subsea cable.
A statement GCI released Monday thanked customers for their patience and said that a month of free internet would be credited to accounts automatically.
It’s the second time in months that the community has been without internet. Without notice in August, Sitka went offline for 17 days after a break in the subsea cable. This time around, GCI announced that repairs to the cable were necessary over a week in advance, giving Sitkans plenty of lead time to prepare. Many businesses and homes switched to a satellite internet provider during the outage, which was expected to last until March 21.
