General Communication Inc. said it has closed on $425 million in new debt in early November that will be used to pay off old debt, with the remaining money being used for general corporate purposes. The Anchorage telecom company said the interest rate is 8.625 percent on the 10-year debt. GCI provides local, long-distance and cell phone, cable TV and Internet services.

A pioneer in bundled services, GCI is the top provider of voice, data and video services to Alaska consumers, with a 70 percent share of the consumer broadband market. GCI is also the leading provider of communications services to enterprise customers, particularly large enterprise customers with complex data networking needs. More information about the company can be found at www.gci.com.

The new debt was given medium-grade ratings by Standard & Poor's Rating Services (a BB- rating) and by Moody's Investors Services (a B2 rating), GCI said.

Energy manager will discuss unified utility

The International Association for Energy Economics Anchorage hosts Jim Strandberg, project manager with the Alaska Energy Authority, at noon today in the BP Energy Center.

He will discuss the administration's legislative proposal to form one integrated and unified private Railbelt power company, the Greater Railbelt Energy and Transmission Co.

RSVP, Jennifer Duval at 269-1025 or Jennifer.Duval@alaska.gov for information.

Small-ship cruises will appeal to adventurers

InnerSea Discoveries, the Seattle-based parent company of American Safari Cruises, said it has bought two vessels for its new small-ship adventure cruising brand. The company said it plans to use the vessels starting in May 2011 on Alaska Inside Passage trips designed to appeal to young-minded, adventurous and experiential travelers.

The 157-foot, 66-guest Wilderness Adventurer was bought for $201,240 from Glacier Bay Cruise Line, InnerSea said. The other ship is the 170-foot, 80-guest Wilderness Discoverer, which cost $314,760, the company said. Both boats are moored in Seattle.

InnerSea's CEO, Capt. Dan Blanchard, said the goal is to "appeal to travelers seeking comfort while participating in physically challenging adventures in the wilderness of the Last Frontier." Among included activities will be moderate-to-strenuous hiking, cave exploration, extended kayaking, rafting, stand-up paddle boarding and exploration by skiff; a la carte adventures on fully outfitted professional fishing boats and specialty programs such as heli-hiking and jet boat river tours will be available at added cost.

Borrowing amenities from the American Safari Cruises brand, InnerSea Discoveries will offer quality outdoor gear, yoga classes, a hot tub, espresso, Tempur-pedic mattresses, iPod docking stations and digi players.

The company said it will offer eight-day, seven-night cruises focused on the Inside Passage between Ketchikan and Juneau, as well as two-week itineraries. The price range is expected to be between $2,000 and $5,000 per person, double occupancy. The company's Web site is www.innerseadiscoveries.com.

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