Mr. Walp pioneered the use of satellite telecommunications for less-developed regions while at Hughes Aircraft Company in Los Angeles. This brought him to Alaska in the early '70s as a consultant on a NASA project he initiated to demonstrate telephone and television services for medical and educational purposes.
Bob helped guide the development of commercial satellite communication services throughout Alaska, first as a consultant to the Governor's Office of Telecommunications and later, as Director of that office after appointment by Governor Hammond in 1975.
In 1979 Mr. Walp founded GCI (General Communication, Inc.) with the help of other Alaskans and, as President, guided its growth as a competitive interexchange telecommunication carrier until he 'retired' in 1989. He is on GCI's Board of Directors and still active in company affairs. He was a member of the State Board of Education and has been on the boards of several educational, telecommunication and other organizations. He was a founding member of the PTC (Pacific Telecommunications Council) and is a Fellow of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).