One Wrangell resident hoped to stir up some interest in an alternative to subscription-service television at the Wrangell Borough Assembly meeting March 10. Sue Horner introduced herself as 31-year military veteran and recent arrival to the community.
While settling in, one of the things Horner noticed was Wrangell did not make use of Alaska Rural Communication System (ARCS) programming.
“I was surprised and disappointed,” she told the Assembly.
She explained the ARCS network is a system of satellite-fed, low-power television transmitters providing non-subscriptive service to communities spread throughout the state. This service is managed by Alaska Public Broadcasting and is publicly owned and funded.
ARCS content features a mix of public and commercial television network and syndicated products, Alaskan-produced news and public affairs, and educational and informational programs from a variety of sources.
Horner told the Assembly ARCS would be a benefit to the community, providing free content for those without television subscriptions, either because they cannot afford them or are in Wrangell on a seasonal or temporary basis.
She added the system is also integral to emergency programming.
Wrangell’s ARCS site is co-located at the transmitter of radio station KSTK. When the station replaced its broadcasting tower, the ARCS hookup was also taken down but was not reinstalled onto the new tower.
Horner said the antenna is still at the station, just not installed.
“The ARCS equipment that we have stored has been in storage since the 1990s,” she said.
In an interview, KSTK manager Cindy Sweat explained the system has been down for nearly two decades and that the ARCS equipment had been primarily left uninstalled as a cost-saving measure.
“Anything built on that tower is billed to us,” she said.
With legislators in Juneau currently eyeing cuts to public broadcasting funding, Sweat added this year is a particularly bad one to take on additional items.
Horner cited an ARCS projection the power would cost around $644 a year, though that could vary depending on winter diesel prices. Much like how public radio seeks funding from its listeners, she felt ARCS users could easily raise this amount for the upkeep. However, this would mean organizing a separate group to support and maintain the system.
There are other reasons for putting the system back up. A Federal Communications Commission deadline has been set in September for low-power, analog networks such as ARCS to switch over to digital transmission.
“Wrangell is on that list,” explained Steve Hamlin, technical manager at ARCS in Anchorage. The state will be purchasing new digital equipment to convert existing hookups, which would include Wrangell if it has its system back online.
Once the network goes digital, Hamlin explained it would add three additional public service channels, with content scheduling organized by the ARCS Council. He also anticipated the switchover would see a reduction in power consumption by the equipment by a quarter to a third.
To view the new digital feed, a person will need a digital TV or a converter box, according to the ARCS website. These are available for purchase online, with a basic model running $20 to $30.
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