Downtown Juneau during the summer cruise ship season is busy. And it’s not just the streets and sidewalks that get congested — so does the internet connection.
A new partnership between a cruise ship company and a local Alaska Native corporation aims to change that. On Thursday, the Royal Caribbean Group and Goldbelt Incorporated announced its launch of a pilot program to improve internet in the downtown area during the cruise season.
In total, they plan to install 10 Starlink receivers at local businesses across downtown. According to McHugh Pierre, Goldbelt’s president and CEO, the first receiver is already live.
“As a person who lives in the downtown Douglas area, my internet was slow, and I know a lot of businesses and residents who had the same situation,” he said. “So, trying to figure out a way to add new capacity to the community was critical.”
The connection is free and open to the public, meaning locals and tourists can use it. In a statement, Preston Carnahan, an executive with the Royal Caribbean Group, said the program aimed to “enhance the travel experience for residents and cruise guests alike.”
This comes as Juneau faces a question on its local ballot this fall about the growth in cruise ship tourism. It asks voters whether large cruise ships should be banned on Saturdays starting next year.
Pierre is on the executive committee of a group called Protect Juneau’s Future, which is actively advocating against the initiative.
“We have a collaborative tourism environment because everybody can work together,” he said. “This is just another example of how tourism works to support our community and how businesses lean forward to make Juneau the best place to live, work and play.”
The City and Borough of Juneau isn’t directly involved in the pilot program, according to Alix Pierce, the city’s visitor industry director. But it has tried to tackle the seasonal problems with internet connectivity. In 2018, it added Wi-Fi to Marine Park, which lasts from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the tourist season. Fees paid by cruise ship passengers help pay for it, and it’s provided by local company SnowCloud Services.
Pierce said the city will continue to look for ways to ease the connectivity connection in future seasons.
Pierre with Goldbelt said more receivers are being installed in the coming weeks. The pilot program will last at least through this season and the 2025 season.