Damaged cable leaves Sitka and Angoon with shoddy service

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Missed connections were hard to avoid this Valentine’s Day in Sitka and Angoon. The fiber optic cable serving both island communities is damaged, leaving customers with spotty to no service.
The Wave Venture, the GCI repair ship, off the shores of Angoon. (Photo courtesy of Jorgen Eliason)
Installed in 2008, the cable runs 1,400 feet below the ocean’s surface. Picture a bundle of glass strands, thinner than a human hair, encased in plastic. And surr