The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today awarded two grants for more than $25.7 million to two Tribal nations: The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe in Minnesota and the Pueblo of Acoma in New Mexico- as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP).
The grants will directly connect more than 1,500 unserved Tribal households and community anchor institutions to affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service, NTIA said. With the new grants, the total of Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program awards is now more than $1.75 billion awarded to 135 Tribal entities.
The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is a nearly $3 billion grant program. The funds came through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law ($2 billion) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 ($980 million).
“Tribal communities often face high barriers to Internet adoption that hinder their ability to thrive in the modern digital economy,” Alan Davidson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, said in a prepared statement. Today’s grants to the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and the Pueblo of Acoma will reduce these barriers for more than 1,500 Tribal households, connecting them to economic and educational opportunities that many of us take for granted.”
NTIA previously made multiple award announcements in the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program.
Todays announced awards were:
- Pueblo of Acoma (NM): The Tribal community received nearly $14.35 million for a broadband infrastructure deployment project that is designed to install fiber to directly connect 1,167 unserved Native American households and anchor institutions with a minimum of 25/3 Mbps service.
- Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe (MN): The Tribal community received just over $11.4 million for a broadband infrastructure deployment project that proposes to install fiber to directly connect 356 unserved Native American households, 7 unserved Native American businesses, and 10 unserved community anchor institutions with service ranging from 250/250 Mbps to 1000/1000 Mbps.
No feeling the bow and arrow like image you chose for the article. Not very sensitive of you.
Oh dude, really?? I mean they could have used their tribal logos for the article picture but the feathers aren’t hurting anyone.