PALMER, ALASKA / AGILITYPR.NEWS / July 21, 2026 / Matanuska Telecom Association is entering a new phase of broadband growth, backed by a $108 million BEAD award, continued fiber expansion across the Mat-Su, and new leadership under CEO Demian Voiles. 

The timing is significant for one of Alaska’s fastest-growing regions. In 2025, MTA upgraded 4,000 locations, deployed 153 miles of fiber, improved capacity for more than 31,000 connections, and secured federal funding to bring fiber broadband to more than 10,000 homes and businesses across its service area. 

“Building out a fiber network to every single home in our network is the end game,” said Demian Voiles, Chief Executive Officer of MTA. “The Mat-Su is growing quickly, and connectivity has to grow with it.” 

For Voiles, the work is about making sure local infrastructure keeps pace with demand from households, businesses, schools, emergency services, and a changing regional economy. The BEAD award gives MTA a way to accelerate that buildout while strengthening the long-term broadband foundation for Alaska communities. 

Service performance is part of that story. In 2025, MTA resolved 93.66% of residential tickets and 88.5% of business tickets within a day. The cooperative also handled more than 57,000 inbound calls with average wait times of about 10 seconds. Those calls are supported by MTA’s local, 24-hour support center based in Palmer, a service model rooted in the same communities the network serves. 

MTA’s investment extends beyond the network itself. Through the MTA Foundation and community sponsorships, more than $300,000 went back into local communities in 2025, including nearly $95,000 in scholarships for 32 local students and more than $100,000 in grants to 10 organizations across six impact areas. 

The Youth Technology Tour added another workforce-focused piece, bringing more than 120 students inside MTA to explore careers in engineering, IT, marketing, construction, finance, and other technology-related fields. 

MTA also received recognition in 2025 for community outreach, cybersecurity, health and safety, customer experience, and support for Guard and Reserve members. 

“We are ready to stand up and take a bigger role in telecom in the state of Alaska,” Voiles said. 

Next, MTA plans to keep moving fiber deeper into the Mat-Su, build the partnerships needed for large-scale deployment, and invest in the people and systems that will support Alaska’s broadband future.