Marine survey mapping of the underwater route is complete, permits are being gathered and the mix of public and private funding is in place for a fiber-optic cable to Kodiak Island, Ik Icard of the Kodiak Kenai Cable Company (KKCC) told a Kodiak Chamber of Commerce forum Thursday.

Placing the fiber-optic cable should begin this summer and service is expected to be ready in Kodiak by the end of 2005, Icard said.

The $42.5 million communication upgrade over current satellite technology will support economic development, education, telemedicine, marketing and research. It will also support activities at the Coast Guard Base and the Kodiak Launch Complex.

Additionally, KKCC anticipates a second phase of the project to extend the route from Kodiak Island back to Anchorage through Seward.

The circle would create a redundant system protecting a known vulnerability of fiber-optic technology connecting Alaska to the Lower 48 through the Turnagain Arm.

“The idea is that we have a 100 percent redundancy in the route and a 100 percent diversity to the route,” Icard said. “Any single adverse event that might affect some portion of it doesn’t take out your system. You still have a complete loop that provides continuous service to every bit of your service ring.”

The redundant system would protect against potential earthquakes, landslides and nefarious human activity.

It is also a critical link for carriers who would otherwise have to maintain backup technologies like satellite transponders or microwave, Icard said.

With the marine survey completed, the company is expecting final bids on the construction of the physical cable by Feb. 23 Icard said.

“We hope to have the construction under way shortly,” he added.

Public funding is already in place.

“We have the equity in place,” Icard said. “We’ve gotten a commitment for the debt we would like to place for the project.”

Currently the company is negotiating with the local carriers of the fiber-optic cable services to meet future debt contingencies, Icard said.

The fiber-optic project has been authorized by the Army Corps of Engineers as the lead federal agency, and the Alaska Department of Natural Resources is processing the application for a state aquatic lands lease on an expedited basis, KKCC.

“Our intent and our goal in this project is to make the facility available at or below existing costs,” Icard said. “The ideal, we hope, is that the carriers will extend the benefits of a lower cost solution with a much higher grade of service.”

Mirror writer Wes Hanna can be reached via e-mail at whanna@kodiakdailymirror.com.