WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced Wednesday that it has awarded nine grants under the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, including nearly $7 million to Confederate Warm Springs Tribes in Oregon.
These new grants, totaling more than $40.3 million, bring the program’s total to nearly $1.7 billion awarded to 130 tribal entities. With funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Act, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, these grants will expand the deployment of broadband internet service network and digital skills training for improving access to education, jobs and health care on tribal lands.
“The Biden-Harris administration is committed to connecting all tribal communities to affordable and reliable high-speed internet service,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said. “The investments we announced today are a critical step in bridging 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 Alaska Natives, to high-speed internet service. affordable and reliable.
Projects funded by these awards will directly connect 3,222 unserved Native American households that previously had no high-speed internet connectivity, as well as anchor businesses and institutions. In addition, 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 through President Biden’s bipartisan Infrastructure Act ($2 billion) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 ($980 million).
Nearly $2 billion in funding has been made available under 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 Act will be announced in the coming months. The NTIA held three tribal consultations with tribal leaders to solicit their input on the upcoming NOFO.
internet for all
The bipartisan Infrastructure Act includes a landmark $65 billion investment to expand affordable and reliable high-speed Internet access in communities across the United States. The NTIA recently launched a series of new, statutorily funded broadband Internet grant programs that will help build high-speed Internet infrastructure. across the country, create more low-cost, high-speed Internet service options, and address the needs for digital equity and inclusion in our communities.
Additionally, the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) provides a rebate of up to $30 per month on Internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on tribal lands. eligible. 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 | The description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ak-Chin Indian Community | THE | Deployment of broadband infrastructure | $3,080,698.37 | The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Project proposes to install fiber and wireless service connecting 255 unserved Native American homes with symmetric 100 Mbps wireline and 50/6 Mbps wireless speeds. |
| Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians | California | Deployment of broadband infrastructure | $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 eligible 1 Gbps broadband service . |
| Fort Independence Indian Reservation | California | Deployment of broadband infrastructure | $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 eligible broadband service of 1 Gbps/1Gbps. |
| Indian Township Tribal Government | ME | Broadband usage and adoption | $500,000.00 | The Broadband Use and Adoption Project will help the Passamaquoddy Tribe create and implement digital inclusion, distance learning, telehealth, and telework programs to benefit their tribal members. |
| picuris indian tribe people | NM | Deployment of broadband infrastructure | $3,742,991.00 | The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 79 unserved Native American homes, 15 tribal offices, 2 tribal businesses, and 3 community anchor institutions with eligible broadband service with symmetric speeds of up to at 1 Gbps. |
| City of Santa Clara | NM | Deployment of broadband infrastructure | $9,175,946.00 | The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 600 unserved Native American homes with fiber to symmetric 1 Gbps home service and 50/10 Mbps wireless service. |
| Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma | OKAY | Deployment of broadband infrastructure | $2,630,650.00 | The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Project proposes to install fiber to directly connect 355 unserved Native American homes with 25/3 Mbps to 1000/50 Mbps broadband service. |
| Apache Tribe of Oklahoma | OKAY | Deployment of broadband infrastructure | $9,980,139.09 | The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Project proposes to install an 80-mile fiber optic path, which will directly connect 36 anchor community institutions as a last mile system. Additionally, this mid-mile fiber will connect to a 3.6 GHz fixed wireless system in the community, which will be used to connect 900 unserved Native American homes and 860 Native American businesses with eligible broadband speeds of 100/20 Mbps. . |
| Confederate Tribes of Warm Springs | WHERE | Deployment of broadband infrastructure | $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 broadband service eligible with speeds ranging from 25/3 Mbps to 1000/50 Mbps. |