Melting Ice & Undersea Cables: How the Arctic Is Getting Fast Internet

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The Wall Street Journal

Technology

4.4 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 10 March 2023

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

High-speed internet is something many of us take for granted. But the FCC says millions of Americans lack access to broadband service. That includes many people who live in the northernmost parts of Alaska, where satellite internet has long been the only option. That’s changing, though, as melting sea ice is leading a rush of companies to step in and start laying new undersea cables. WSJ Pro reporter Isabelle Bousquette visited parts of the Arctic where high-speed internet has made it easier to learn and even saved lives. She speaks with WSJ’s Danny Lewis about the huge educational, medical and research implications for people in the Arctic and beyond. Further reading: A Warming Arctic Emerges as a Route for Subsea Cables - WSJ Climate Change in Arctic Is Changing How People There Live and Work - WSJ Google, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft Weave a Fiber-Optic Web of Power - WSJ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Tinder.
0:04.0	Life is full of possibilities.
0:06.0	A cheeky reply to a message here could lead to a world of fun new experiences over there.
0:11.0	And with Tinder, it all starts with a swipe.
0:14.0	Strangers can become mates, mates can become lovers with matching tattoos.
0:18.0	Or maybe it's not that serious.
0:20.0	Whether a match leads to something new and exciting or something personal, no matter what.
0:25.0	All matches lead to self-discovery.
0:27.0	Download Tinder now.
0:31.0	Hey, Isabel.
0:33.0	Hi, Danny.
0:34.0	So we're sitting here in a studio in the middle of Midtown in New York City.
0:37.0	And I wish I could say it was chilly today.
0:39.0	But it's not.
0:40.0	No, it's not at all. It's like 60 degrees outside.
0:43.0	Yeah, it's a really nice time.
0:45.0	And that's nothing like what you experienced like 3,000 miles away north in the Arctic.
0:50.0	No, not at all.
0:51.0	Flying in the plane across what is essentially just a barren white wasteland was crazy.
0:59.0	That's WSJ pro enterprise tech reporter Isabel Buscat.
1:03.0	And I remember looking out from the plane windows and just kind of seeing on the tip of the northern coast of Alaska this tiny little town.
1:13.0	I'd like to welcome me to Barrow.
	...

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