More than $276 million has been recommended for award to 44 Tribal entities by Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), it was announced this week. The funding — allotted to expand access to and adoption of high-speed internet — is from the NTIA’s $3 billion Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program.
“These awards will ensure that residents of Tribal lands have the internet connections they need to take advantage of digital opportunities for work, education, health care, and other essential services,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in the announcement.
The $276,240,223 recommended by the NTIA will be used for both internet infrastructure deployment and internet adoption projects on Tribal lands. Tribal entities slated to receive funding are located in Alaska, Arizona, California, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
The timing of award issuance will follow budget review and processing.
These grants come from the second round of funding, totaling nearly $1 billion, aimed at supporting internet infrastructure deployment on Tribal lands, as well as affordability programs, telehealth initiatives, and distance-learning projects.
“There is no one-size-fits-all approach to achieving meaningful, universal internet access. That’s especially true on Tribal lands,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson. “Each grant … reflects a Tribe’s own novel approach to bridging the digital divide in their community.”
Projects funded by the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program have been completed or are currently underway in 27 Tribal communities. They have provided more than 4,600 households with access to free or affordable high-speed internet service.
Most recently, for example, the NTIA Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program fund recently awarded $72 million to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to expand high-speed internet access and adoption in Native Hawaiian households.
