Category: News & Alerts

MTA To ‘Light Up’ the Mountain With Fiber for Skeetawk, Set To Open For 2019-2020 Season

Palmer, Alaska – December 19, 2018 – MTA, Alaska’s premier technology company, announced today that it will become the official communications partner of Hatcher Alpine Xperience (HAX), a nonprofit, member-driven organization working to bring lift-access, downhill skiing, boarding and other alpine sports to Hatcher Pass through its new alpine ski area, Skeetawk.

MTA will power Skeetawk’s data, video, voice and other communications with fiber connectivity, ensuring fast, safe, and reliable communication needs for those mountain enthusiasts looking to plug in and connect between trips down the area’s 6+ miles of trails. Additionally, MTA has committed to a three-year sponsorship of Skeetawk’s Ski Patrol, fully outfitting them with the tools and equipment necessary to ensure the safety of those on the mountain.

The fiber extension that makes this partnership possible is leading the way for larger opportunity for economic development in Alaska, further expanding MTA’s goal of providing the means necessary to create more plugged-in and technologically intelligent communities throughout the state.

Skeetawk is a result of HAX’s years-long work toward bringing a downhill ski area to the Talkeetna Mountains northwest of Palmer, Alaska. Hatcher Pass, a destination known for its early-season snow, gorgeous mountain views and terrain ideal for winter sports and activities.

The volunteer-driven HAX received a $500,000 grant from the Mat-Su Health Foundation in late 2017, which was just released after raising matching funds through MTA, Mat-Su Trails and Parks Foundation, MEA Charitable Foundation, North Lakes Community Council, and a $350,000 grant from the Rasmuson Foundation in 2018, in addition to funds from various private members, donors and sponsors. Skeetawk aiming to open for the 2019-20 ski season.

“When we were deciding how to approach our communications planning for Skeetawk, we valued fast, safe, reliable service and a great all-around partner above all else, so handing the communications aspect to a trusted company like MTA was a no-brainer,” said Amy O’Connor, Executive Director of HAX. “Their fiber connectivity allows us to showcase our new community-focused ski area, allowing our visitors to share their positive experience and smiles with the world while also providing us the necessary connections to keep our guests safe upon its opening.”

“The process that has brought this amazing new alpine ski area to Hatcher Pass has been inspiring, and MTA is honored to be serving as its official communications partner,” said Michael Burke, CEO of MTA. “MTA takes pride in helping aid economic expansion throughout Alaska, and this ski area is a prime example of that. The whole MTA family is excited to be a part of this major new destination, and we are looking forward to hitting the slopes ourselves when Skeetawk is open later next year.”

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Palmer, Alaska – February 26, 2019 – MTA, Alaska’s premier technology company, announced that its Palmer-based headquarters is the recipient of a Green Star® award from the Alaska Forum on the Environment, highlighting the company’s active leadership in and longstanding commitment to waste reduction, energy conservation and pollution prevention within the workplace.

MTA’s achievements include:

• Recycling more than 120 tons of wire, set top boxes, electronics, remotes and computers per year
• Recycling more than 40,000 cardboard boxes per year
• Recycling more than 25,000 phone books per year
• Reducing carbon dioxide emissions from 431.1 to 327.8 tons per quarter, equal to a 24% reduction in emissions

In addition to benefiting the environment, MTA’s efforts have saved more than $50,000 in disposal costs and received close to $250,000 in revenue through recycling efforts.

“There are few commitments that MTA takes more seriously than our commitment to the environment and making the world a cleaner and safer place for our generation, as well as future ones down the road,” said Michael Burke, CEO of MTA. “We aim to set an example for our members and local communities to be stewards of the environment, and we hope that receiving this recognition from Green Star® will shine a brighter light on the types of positive environmental practices that will make Alaska and our planet a better place.”

MTA was one of 10 businesses to receive this award at the 2019 Alaska Forum on the Environment, which took place on February 14. Green Star®, Alaska’s only pollution prevention program, aims to reduce or eliminate the volume and toxicity of materials, pollutants or wastes at the source so they never become waste in the first place. In order to achieve Green Star® recognition, companies and organizations must actively address and fully commit to environmental standards developed by the Alaska Forum related to solid waste, hazardous waste, recyclable material and waste water.

MTA: Life. Technology. Together.

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Large businesses and government entities that work between Alaska and the Lower 48 will have new options for operations, access to cloud providers

Palmer, Alaska – September 13, 2022 – Matanuska Telecom Association (MTA), Alaska’s best choice for technology and communications, has completed the first and only all-terrestrial fiber route between Alaska and Chicago. The project, an extension of the historic AlCan ONE line, brings an additional secure, geographically diverse, high-speed connection between Anchorage, Wasilla and Fairbanks to Calgary and Chicago, as well as to Seattle and Portland. 

“MTA is proud to be facilitating the vibrant enterprise, education and government industries to be even stronger and more capable with our new Alaska to Chicago connection,” said Michael Burke, CEO of MTA. “Communications needs are changing every year, so this secure and reliable option is critical to the growth of businesses in Alaska and across the country.”

In 2020, MTA completed its AlCan ONE (Alaska Canada Overland Network), a 300-mile, all-terrestrial fiber network connecting North Pole, Alaska to the Canadian border – and ultimately providing MTA’s members, as well as Alaska as a whole, with a robust internet transport connection for decades to come. Since then, the co-operative has worked with Canadian partners to extend the network and establish POPs in Calgary and Chicago. 

“In the past, we’ve been vulnerable to the possibility that a disaster or crisis could render Alaska cut off from the rest of the world,” said Francis LaChapelle, Vice President of Business Development for MTA. “MTA knew Alaska needed an alternative to relying on undersea fiber cable communications that pass through the Pacific Northwest, and now we have it.  Expanding our terrestrial network to Chicago allows MTA to meet the need for fast and survivable telecommunications to the Midwest and East Coast.”

MTA’s new system gives Alaska a faster connection to the Midwest and East Coast, with a 20-25% reduction in round-trip latency between Alaska and Chicago. It also provides a direct connection to diverse cloud regions— Microsoft Azure Government cloud in Chicago and the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud coming to Calgary in 2023.

For more information, visit www.mtasolutions.com/chicago.

By Kerry Youngren, Marketing Manager

As the leading technology provider in Alaska, we know our work is constantly evolving – and never done. Whether it’s completing large-scale network upgrades that will connect Alaskans for generations, or taking the lead during times of crisis, MTA has been committed to serving the communities we live in for nearly 70 years.

MTA has come a long way from our founding in 1953. And we know what’s to come: better, stronger connections to each other, powered by the network we’ve designed and constructed for the areas we serve. That area has also grown, with Alaska being more high-tech and forward-looking than ever before.

As we advance with our community, we want to make it clear that this progression is inspired solely by you, our members, and your needs. This path toward the future is represented in a recent modernization to MTA’s look-and-feel and the launch of our new website that we are proud to share with you.

Our members are not static, and as we develop new solutions and enter new markets, the way we present our brand must constantly adapt to our ever-evolving audience while staying true to our Alaskan roots.

Different from a rebrand, these enhancements are designed to breathe life into what is already there. And all of this is more than just a new mix of colors, fonts, and a website. Our goal with this launch is to modernize and unify our brand, while staying true to our mission. It includes better online communication and introduces unique, meaningful experiences for residential, business, enterprise, and wholesale customers.

But before we decided on the new brand direction, we did our homework. (Being MTA, would you expect anything less?) This included research within our service area as well as taking a close look at the core values of MTA as a brand and where we’ve been.

Right now, we are truly entering a new era for MTA: we completed the historic AlCan ONE all-terrestrial fiber line, which will provide a secure connection to the lower 48 and beyond for decades; we’ve cut the cord on traditional TV and ushered our members to a streaming lifestyle; we’ve expanded into new markets with the introduction of unique, meaningful experiences for residential, business, enterprise and wholesale customers; and we’re delivering an elevated online experience with new products like totalWiFi and MTA Shield.

In short, it’s the perfect time to revamp our identity. There’s new energy and focus from the Alaskan tech and business community and our products and services lead the charge in enabling this exploration. Our brand refresh visually symbolizes our commitment to innovate.

Of course, we could not have done this work alone. We worked alongside our creative partner Alopex, a Palmer-based agency that is leading the way for web development and design in the state. 

Alopex is one of many innovative and outstanding companies that have sprouted up in Alaska as of late; with more and more businesses launching in the Palmer area, Alaska’s tech future is bright and we are eager to work alongside them – and be inspired by them – in years to come.