On This Nearly Deserted Alaska Island, You Pay to Keep Hundreds of Empty Buildings Wired for Internet

According to ProPublica, the federal government pays over three hundred forty thousand dollars per year to provide internet access to hundreds of abandoned buildings on Adak Island in Alaska. The island's population has dwindled to between two dozen and seventy-seven residents. Yet ProPublica's investigation found not a single resident actually subscribes to the subsidized service—they use Starlink instead, which arrived in twenty twenty-three, costs ninety to one hundred forty dollars monthly, and delivers speeds up to forty times faster. The Universal Service Fund, financed by fees on Americans' phone bills, continues funding the local telecom despite its president having received millions in subsidies while a federal order found he spent subsidy money on personal vehicles and an unreasonable salary. The FCC declined to respond to ProPublica's questions about oversight.

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