WASHINGTON (KTVZ) – The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced Wednesday it has awarded nine grants as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, including nearly $7 million to the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs in Oregon.
These new grants, totaling more than $40.3 million, bring the total of the program to nearly $1.7 billion awarded to 130 Tribal entities. With funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, these grants will expand high-speed Internet service network deployment and digital skills training to improve access to education, jobs, and healthcare on Tribal lands.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to connecting all Tribal communities to affordable and reliable high-speed Internet service,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “The investments we announced today are a crucial step in closing the digital divide in Indian country.”
Tribes in six states received grants – Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Maine. These awards are part of the Biden Administration’s commitment to nation-to-nation engagement and an effort to connect everyone in America, including Native Americans and Alaskan Natives, to affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service.
The projects funded by these awards will directly connect 3,222 unserved Native American households that previously had no connectivity to high-speed Internet as well as businesses and anchor institutions. Additionally, the nine grants will create 85 new jobs.
The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is a nearly $3 billion grant program and part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Internet for All Initiative. The funds are made available from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law ($2 billion) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 ($980 million).
Nearly $2 billion in funding was made available as part of the Notice of Funding Opportunity announced in June 2021. An additional Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for $1 billion in funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be announced in the coming months. NTIA held three Tribal Consultations with Tribal leaders to solicit their input on the upcoming NOFO.
Internet for All
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes a historic $65 billion investment to expand affordable and reliable high-speed Internet access in communities across the U.S. NTIA recently launched a series of new high-speed Internet grant programs funded by the law that will build high-speed Internet infrastructure across the country, create more low-cost high-speed Internet service options, and address the digital equity and inclusion needs in our communities.
Additionally, the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward Internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Visit AffordableConnectivity.gov to learn more.
For more information on the Biden-Harris Administration’s high-speed Internet service programs, please visit InternetforAll.gov.
| Applicant | Location | Project Type | Funding Amount | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ak-Chin Indian Community | AZ | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $3,080,698.37 | The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber and wireless service connecting 255 unserved Native American households with 100Mbps symmetrical wired and 50/6 Mbps wireless speeds. |
| Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians | CA | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $2,710,067.25 | The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 45 unserved Tribal households, 3 unserved Tribal businesses, and 6 unserved Tribal community anchor institutions with 1 Gbps qualifying broadband service. |
| Fort Independence Indian Reservation | CA | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $1,510,610.82 | The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber to directly connect 52 unserved Tribal households, 5 unserved Tribal businesses, and 6 unserved Tribal community anchor institutions with 1 Gbps/1 Gbps qualifying broadband service. |
| Indian Township Tribal Government | ME | Broadband Use and Adoption | $500,000.00 | The Broadband Use and Adoption project will assist the Passamaquoddy Tribe in creating and implementing digital inclusion, distance learning, and telehealth and telework programs for the benefit of their Tribal members |
| Picuris Pueblo Indian Tribe | NM | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $3,742,991.00 | The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 79 unserved Native American households, 15 Tribal offices, 2 Tribal businesses, and 3 community anchor institutions with qualifying broadband service with up to 1Gbps symmetrical speeds. |
| Pueblo of Santa Clara | NM | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $9,175,946.00 | The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 600 unserved Native American households with fiber to the home service of 1 Gbps symmetrical and 50/10 Mbps wireless service. |
| Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma | OK | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $2,630,650.00 | The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber to directly connect 355 unserved Native American households with broadband service from 25/3 Mbps to 1000/50 Mbps. |
| Apache Tribe of Oklahoma | OK | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $9,980,139.09 | The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install an 80-mile, middle mile fiber path that will directly connect 36 community anchor institutions as a last mile system. Additionally, this middle mile fiber will connect to a3.6 GHz fixed wireless system in the community, which will be used to connect 900 unserved Native American households and 860 Native American businesses with qualifying 100/20 Mbps broadband speeds. |
| Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs | OR | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $6,988,050.00 | The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install last mile fiber to directly connect 936 unserved Tribal households, 21 unserved Tribal businesses, and 5 unserved Tribal community anchor institutions with qualifying broadband service with speeds from 25/3 Mbps to 1000/50 Mbps. |
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