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Tribal communities internet access overview:
- Who: The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration will be awarding approximately $980 million in grants.
- Why: The grants are aimed at expanding internet access and availability on tribal lands as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
- Where: The announcement came from the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration will be awarding approximately $980 million in grants to help improve Native American internet access and availability on tribal lands across the United States.
The grants are part of the NTIA’s Internet for All initiative’s Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program that will be available for Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities to use on internet infrastructure on tribal lands and also for affordability programs, telehealth and distance learning initiatives.
“The digital divide has disproportionately impacted people in Tribal communities for years,” Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Alan Davidson said. “But thanks to our Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, that’s finally starting to change. This latest round of funding will provide Indian Country with affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service.”
The tribal broadband access program has already awarded $1.78 billion to 191 Tribal entities since the program began in 2021. The TBCP is part of the overall Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which included $65 billion to expand affordable and reliable high-speed Internet access across the U.S.
NTIA recently began a series of new high-speed Internet grant programs across the country that will build high-speed Internet infrastructure.
The goal of the law is also to create more low-cost high-speed Internet service options, and address the digital equity and inclusion needs in our communities.
Grants for infrastructure can be up to $50 million while internet adoption grants can reach $2.5 million
The grants for high-speed Internet infrastructure deployment projects by a single applicant can be worth between $1 million to $50 million. The high-speed Internet adoption and use projects can be awarded for between $100,000 to $2.5 million.
“These investments will provide new opportunities for Tribal communities to participate in telehealth, online education, remote work and countless other benefits that Internet access can bring,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said.
A recent Government Accountability Office report showed that federal funding for broadband access would not benefit tribal lands equally and thus recommended further federal funding for broadband access on tribal lands.
Have you attempted to use broadband services on tribal lands? Let us know in the comments.
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