KPU Telecom

A 90-Year Legacy of Connectivity in Ketchikan

Municipal ownership, pioneering innovation, and community focus drive digital advancement

KPU Telecom is a unique organization, rooted deeply in the community of Ketchikan, that has continually proven its effectiveness in meeting the digital demands of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. 

The company’s rich history spans an impressive 90 years in the digital infrastructure landscape, and based on its reputation for innovation, that history won’t end anytime soon.

As a municipally-owned entity, KPU consistently delivers value back to its city through long-term investments that prioritize community benefit and service quality over short-term gains. 

A great example of this would be the company’s investment in its 48-fiber subsea cable to Prince Rupert. 

This asset, coupled with the proactive exploration of AI implementation and ambitious network upgrades, ensures KPU not only remains at the bleeding edge of development but also remains a vital pillar of the region. 

When it comes to securing more of that regional relevancy, the pursuit of transport redundancy has been critical, as creating an additional path north to Juneau further safeguards its network.

At the most fundamental level, KPU Telecom’s consistent success hinges on its local philosophy, which spoils its customers with an unmatched level of accessibility and service that competitors simply cannot keep up with.

At the same time, employees also enjoy the benefits of that accessibility, as KPU Telecom empowers its workforce through transparency, an open-door policy, and valuing every employee’s input.

To sweeten the deal, KPU has an incredible habit of transforming its customer service reps into proactive salespeople with great perks like incentive pay. 

Additionally, the company’s long-term, value-driven partners, like Westpark Electric and CityWest Cable & Telephone Corp, have ensured continuity and cost efficiency in the company’s operation over the years.

Overall, KPU Telecom has proven a profound understanding of how local roots and technological prowess combine to create a powerhouse strategy for growth.

The Evolution of KPU Telecom’s Core Services and Facilities

In 1934, KPU Telecom was born out of sheer necessity. 

Due to Alaska’s remote geography, with no communication services available, the City of Ketchikan stepped up to provide an essential link to the outside world for its community. 

Since 1999, KPU Telecom has undergone profound transformations. What began with multi-party telephone lines has evolved dramatically, as the company moved from a basic copper network to a cutting-edge, IP-focused digital infrastructure. 

In the early 2000s, recognizing the industry’s shift, KPU rapidly launched dial-up and then DSL services over its copper lines.

“And it wasn’t too much later, probably in the 2002-2003 time frame, where we moved forward with a full triple play service. So, that was video, voice, and data (internet),” says Telephone Division Manager Dan Lindren.

This move, which happened over an IP-focused network, was ahead of its time, particularly for voice switching, and presented considerable challenges for both technology integration and staff training as KPU transitioned from traditional telephone systems to new IP platforms.

Shortly after, the limitations of the copper network, particularly for video services, quickly became apparent. By 2008-2009, KPU Telecom innovated with a unique fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) offering and hosted PBX services with softphones.. 

Instead of immediately connecting every home, they ran fiber infrastructure up and down all streets in Ketchikan and the borough, and customers were then converted from copper to fiber.

“And that actually played out very well. I would say we’re a little bit ahead of the curve regarding offering fiber services. And we had our reasons; we were one of the companies that were offering video play, and it was simply a matter of us realizing that you can’t reasonably offer a great service in a copper-type environment,” Lindren explains.

Further expanding its services, in 2013, KPU ventured into the wireless business through a partnership with Verizon’s LTE in Rural America (LRA) program. 

KPU built the entire Radio Access Network (RAN) infrastructure in Ketchikan, utilizing Verizon’s core network to launch wireless service, including device sales through an in-house Verizon store. 

This network remains operational well over a decade later. 

More recently, KPU has focused on Wi-Fi deployments for businesses—often with pay-for-access models—and public locations like the airport and coffee shops, leveraging these access points to provide free KPU Internet customer service. 

KPU has also moved into security camera systems, utilizing its Ubiquiti and Cisco Meraki platforms for local police, ports and harbors, and other businesses. The company also offers a unique community service, which involves filming high school sports. 

“So, we film baseball games, basketball games, softball games, and also some swimming. It used to be a linear offering on our TV service, but now it’s on a streaming platform where customers can download our KPU Net or KPU TV app and then watch that programming,” Lindren clarifies.

Lastly, KPU also operates a data center, providing colocation space and related services.

Unique Market Positioning and a Culture of Transparency

In a market with a direct cable competitor, KPU Telecom has developed a robust strategy to stand out and offer value. 

“So, it’s been really important for us to differentiate ourselves. I would say the number one thing is that we spoil our customers, and everything is local. All of our support is local, and we really hammer home the fact that we’re here. We’re even meeting our customers at their grocery stores, and pretty much handle anything for a customer,” Lindren expresses.

KPU Employees are also empowered to make decisions that prioritize customer satisfaction, reflecting the organization’s ingrained DNA of community presence.

The company’s practice of filming local community events, sports-oriented or otherwise, stems from this differentiating principle.

However, separate from its unmatched accessibility, KPU Telecom also differentiates itself with a unique sales and marketing strategy.

Recognizing the strategic challenge posed by their competitor’s subsea fiber cable in 2008-2009, KPU invested in new marketing positions and managers, transforming their customer service representatives from “order takers” to proactive salespeople with incentive pay. 

The company’s advantageous position as a municipal entity, where citizens visit its office for electrical services, provided a prime opportunity to cross-sell telecom services. 

Additionally, KPU strategically relocated its customer service team to a public-facing position in the mall, directly across from their competitor, enhancing their visibility and sales efforts. 

The other factor that sets this company apart is its strong internal culture.

KPU Telecom’s organizational culture is defined by transparency and an intentional focus on valuing every employee, even within a unionized environment. 

“Transparency is a big thing that I think really helps our culture a lot. It’s important to have an open-door policy where employees feel comfortable coming to me or management staff if they’ve got an idea or notice that something isn’t working. We always try to have an open conversation because we recognize that there are a lot of different ideas and values out there,” Lindren explains.

This high degree of transparency, combined with city council oversight, makes all operations publicly accountable, which has led to significant organizational improvements and a workforce that feels trusted, valued, and genuinely integral to the company’s success. 

Healthy Partnerships and a Plan for Expansion

Health and safety are paramount at KPU Telecom. The company invests heavily in employee safety, emphasizing it daily beyond mandatory training. 

Regular monthly safety meetings are a key method of reinforcing awareness, often featuring anecdotes to highlight real-world risks, ensuring employees prioritize returning home safely. 

“We make sure to not only have mandatory training for our employees, but we also send them to trade shows where they can look at the latest safety equipment for climbing or see some of the latest industry trends,” Lindren adds, noting that this ensures industry compliance while also empowering employees to maintain a secure work environment on their own.

When it comes to collaborative practices, KPU addresses suppliers and partners with the same attentiveness and accountability.

The company nurtures long-term relationships based on fair deals, recognizing that some vendors offer value beyond just the lowest cost, including responsiveness and reliability.

This is evident in the two key partnerships that help KPU transport essential traffic via its self-built 48-fiber subsea cable from Ketchikan to Prince Rupert, Canada, which routes traffic to Seattle.

“City West is our partner down in Canada that gets our traffic from Prince Rupert down to Seattle, so they’re one of our key partners, and Westpark Electric was the contractor that laid our subsea cable,” Lindren clarifies.

Looking ahead, KPU Telecom has clear strategic goals for the next two to five years. The company is focused on expanding its reach and enhancing operational efficiency. 

A primary focus is on leveraging the significant excess capacity gained from the construction of its subsea fiber cable to Prince Rupert. 

This opens new opportunities for wholesale transport sales to other carriers and providers within Alaska. 

Simultaneously, KPU is committed to boosting its internal efficiency, actively exploring the implementation of artificial intelligence into operational procedures and customer support. 

“We’re also really at the point where we need to start thinking about the retirement of our copper network. We’re still maintaining it, and there’s certainly a cost to doing that. And that network just isn’t utilized to the extent it once was,” Lindren says.

With much of KPU’s network being fiber-based, this is the logical next step, and it will be coupled with a plan for substantial network upgrades to accommodate 100-gigabit links, which can handle today’s rapid increase in data traffic. 

Finally, to further safeguard its modern network, KPU Telecom will also be enhancing network redundancy. 

Currently, the subsea cable, while extremely useful, represents a single point of failure should the company’s network ever experience problems. 

This makes the exploration of an additional path north, connecting to Juneau and then back south, crucial for uninterrupted service.

These pivots showcase KPU Telecom’s proactive vision for a robust, future-proof digital infrastructure for Ketchikan.

But as this Alaskan pioneer continues to defy geographical isolation and revolutionize connectivity, what transformative impact will its unique blend of public service and cutting-edge innovation unveil next?

At a Glance

Who: KPU Telecom

What: A municipally-owned telecommunications company with a 90-year legacy rooted in public service and innovation.

Where: Headquartered in Ketchikan, Alaska, KPU Telecom primarily serves the city and surrounding boroughs. It has also extended its transport capabilities throughout Alaska and into the Pacific Northwest via subsea connections. 

Website: www.kputel.com