This article talks about the disparity in cost of service.  Why does it not talk about the comparative cost of construction and operations?  It's pretty simple... you see those microwave dots on the map?  Many of them are on remote mountaintops a long way from a gas station.  How do you get fuel there to run generators 24/7/365?  Answer: Helicopters.  If you had the same operational costs in Anchorage, you'd be paying way more, so there is no comparison here, that's why milk costs more in Kotzebue than Anchorage.  Some would think you recoup $250M and make a profit by losing money by charging less than what it costs to operate the system.