Researchers at the University of Alaska have traditionally had a hard time being competitive with top universities in the continental United States due in part to the fact that limited bandwidth has made certain types of research somewhat restricted. In order to allow the school to be able to do advanced research in areas such as oceanography and weather tracking, Alaska’s largest telecommunications company (GCI) has gifted the university with free broadband valued at approximately $30 million. The goal is to reduce the remoteness of the University of Alaska campus by keeping them connected to high speed technologies in spite of the fact that there are limited broadband providers and long distances to cover in the area. The service is expected to be in place before the end of the upcoming fall semester.