EXHIBIT 5.1





                    WOHLFORTH, ARGETSINGER, JOHNSON & BRECHT

                           A PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION
JULIUS J. BRECHT                                                     TELEPHONE
CHERYL RAWLS BROOKING                                             (907) 276-6401
CYNTHIA L. CARTLEDGE            ATTORNEYS AT LAW
ROBERT M. JOHNSON
BRADLEY E. MEYEN           900 WEST 5TH AVENUE, SUITE 600            FACSIMILE
KENNETH E. VASSAR                                                 (907) 276-5093
ERIC E. WOHLFORTH           ANCHORAGE, ALASKA 99501-2048


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    OF COUNSEL
PETER ARGETSINGER





                                 October 4, 1996


John M. Lowber
Senior Vice President and
 Chief Financial Officer
General Communication, Inc.
2550 Denali Street, Suite 1000
Anchorage, AK 99503

        RE:      Opinion as to the Legality of Certain  Shares to be  Registered
                 Pursuant  to an  Offering by General  Communication,  Inc.  and
                 Issued in Conjunction  with  Acquisition of Securities of Prime
                 Cable of  Alaska,  L.P.  and Assets of  Alaskan  Cable  Network
                 Companies; Our File No. 618.1044

Dear Mr. Lowber:

        You have  requested  an  opinion  from this  firm on  behalf of  General
Communication,  Inc.  ("Company") in connection with the registration of certain
shares of Class A Common  Stock of the Company to be offered to four  television
cable companies in conjunction with the Company's  acquisition of securities and
assets of those  companies  ("Company  Stock").  This  acquisition is part of an
acquisition by the Company of seven cable television  companies.  However,  this
opinion is limited to the issuance of Company  Stock to four of those  companies
as further described in this letter.

                                      FACTS

        It is this firm's  understanding that certain material facts surrounding
the proposed transactions are represented by the Company as follows ("Facts"):

         1. On April 12, 1996 a teleconference meeting of the board of directors
of the  Company  ("Board"),  was held at which the Board  approved a  resolution
("Resolution") which states that, among other things, the Company is authorized

                                                         REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                                                         II-592
<PAGE>
to  enter  into  separate   purchase   agreements  in  the  form  of  agreements
substantially as presented to the Board,  with seven cable television  companies
providing services in Alaska.  Four cable television  companies will receive, as
part of their  consideration,  14,723,077 shares of Company Class A common stock
according to two agreements as follows:

                 (a) An agreement  with Prime Cable of Alaska,  L.P., a Delaware
limited partnership ("Prime") offering 11,800,000 shares of Company Stock to the
holders,  directly or  indirectly,  of all of the  limited  and general  partner
interests of Prime (for subsequent distribution to the security holders of those
partners) and the holders of equity participation interests in Prime; and

                 (b) An agreement  with Alaskan Cable  Network/Fairbanks,  Inc.,
Alaskan Cable Network/Juneau,  Inc., and Alaskan Cable  Network/Ketchikan-Sitka,
Inc.  (collectively  "Alaskan Cable") offering 2,923,077 shares of Company Stock
to Alaskan Cable for subsequent  distribution to the respective sole shareholder
of each of the three corporations comprising Alaskan Cable;

         2. The Company received a Certificate of  Incorporation  from the State
of Alaska  dated July 16,  1979,  and its  Articles of  Incorporation  have been
restated as of November 25, 1986, August 14, 1990,  February 3, 1992, and August
16, 1993  ("Articles") and such Articles are on file with the Alaska  Department
of Commerce and  Economic  Development.  The Articles  state that the Company is
organized for the purposes of transacting  any and all lawful business for which
a  corporation  may be  incorporated  under the Alaska  Corporations  Code.  The
Articles  state  that the  Company  has the  power to issue and sell its Class A
common stock; and

         3. As of the date of this letter, the Company was current on the filing
of its biennial  corporate  report and payment of its  corporation tax under the
Alaska Corporations Code.

         4. Copies of the Articles,  the current Bylaws (as revised on March 23,
1993), the Certificate of Incorporation,  and the Resolution (collectively,  the
"Corporate Documents") have been delivered to this firm.

                               CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

         Copies of the  Articles,  the  current  Bylaws (as revised on March 23,
1993), the Certificate of Incorporation,  and the Resolution (collectively,  the
"Corporate  Documents")  have  been  delivered  to this  firm.  Based  upon  the
foregoing Facts and our review of Corporate Documents,  we are of the opinion as
follows:


                                                         REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                                                         II-593
<PAGE>



         1. The Corporate  Documents are consistent with the Alaska Corporations
Code and applicable Alaska law.


         2. The Company Stock, when issued, will represent legally issued, fully
paid and nonassessable shares of Class A common stock of the Company; and

         3. Each holder of a share of the Company  Stock will be entitled to the
benefits of a shareholder pro rata based upon ownership of outstanding shares of
the Class A common stock of the Company.

        We have rendered the foregoing opinion as of the date hereof,  and we do
not  undertake to  supplement  our opinion  with  respect to factual  matters or
changes in the law which may hereafter occur.

        Other than as an exhibit in the  registration of the Company Stock under
the federal  Securities  Act of 1933,  as  amended,  and under  registration  or
exemption under other  applicable state securities laws, this letter must not be
quoted or  referred  to in the  Company's  financial  statements  or provided to
persons  other than the officers  and  directors  of the Company  without  prior
consultation with us or without our prior written consent.

                                             WOHLFORTH, ARGETSINGER,
                                             JOHNSON & BRECHT, A
                                             Professional Corporation

                                                   /S/


                                                         REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                                                         II-594