Biden Administration Awards More Funding for Tribal Broadband, With $262 Million for 9 Projects

WASHINGTON, August 25, 2022 – The National Telecommunications and Information Administration of the U.S. Commerce Department announced $262 million in funds awarded to nine Tribes in seven states.

Two of the awards (for $143 million) were made on Thursday, and seven of the awards (for $118.8 million) were made on Tuesday. The full amounts and awardees are listed at the bottom.

The awards will provide funds for high-speed internet infrastructure deployment projects through the Internet for All Initiative’s Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program.

This Tribal broadband program is funded by the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in November 2021. Both funding vehicles make money available for grants to eligible Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian entities for high-speed internet deployment, digital inclusion, workforce development, telehealth, and distance learning.

During a press call announcing the historic investments, Vice President Kamala Harris said, “Our administration’s vision is to connect all Native communities with the Internet and with the opportunity that comes along with access to affordable Internet—the opportunity to live healthier, happier, and more prosperous lives. And we will continue to fight every day to make that vision a reality.” Her full remarks are available here.

“Closing the digital divide in Indian country is a crucial step for protecting local customs and traditions while invigorating the opportunities for global engagement and growth,” said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

NTIA has now made a total of 63 awards totaling more than $601 million in Tribal funding. These awards are part of the Biden Administration’s commitment to nation-to-nation engagement and an effort to connect everyone in America, including American Indians and Natives, with affordable, reliable, high-speed internet.

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Alan Davidson recently announced that NTIA has added $1 billion of that funding to the existing funding opportunity, meaning the Administration can fund more of the projects that already submitted applications. An additional Notice of Funding Opportunity for the remaining funds will be announced later in 2022, and NTIA will hold consultations with Tribal leaders in September to solicit their input.

Thursday and Tuesday announcements

On Thursday, the two awardees were or the Hoopa Valley Tribal Council and Yurok Telecommunications Corp. in California and the Spokane Tribe of Indians in Washington. These awards will connect more than 2,800 homes across these three Tribes affording more families access to the critical connectivity necessary for learning, work, and telehealth.

The Tuesday announcement was made from the Oglala Sioux Tribe reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. The grants are being awarded to the Shoshone Bannock Tribes (Idaho), the Chippewa Cree Tribe (Montana), Nebraska Indian Community College (Nebraska), Omaha Tribe of Nebraska (Nebraska), Oglala Sioux Tribe (South Dakota), Rosebud Sioux Tribe (South Dakota), and Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Wisconsin).

“The Oglala Sioux Tribe is excited to be receiving an NTIA Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program Award,” said Kevin Killer, President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. “Our Tribe is in desperate need of affordable broadband on our vast, remote Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. We have lagged behind the rest of America for too long, and the COVID-19 public health emergency made the importance of broadband to our daily lives abundantly clear. The NTIA’s TBCP award will provide the necessary resources and infrastructure for our Tribal Citizens to engage in remote education, telemedicine, remote work, and other activities.”

FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Brings High-Speed, Affordable Internet to Tribal Communities – The White House

For more information on the Biden-Harris Administration’s high-speed internet programs as well as quotes from the awardees, please visit InternetforAll.gov.

Thursday awards:

Applicant	Location	Type of Project	Funding Amount	Brief Description
Yurok Telecommunications Corp.	CA	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment	$61,661,365.50	The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install middle fiber and last mile wireless connecting 921 unserved Native American households on the Yurok Reservation and Yurok Ancestral Lands with fixed wireless to the home with 100 Mbps/25 Mbps service.
Hoopa Valley Tribal Council	CA	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment	$65,140,407.72	The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber and wireless to directly connect 1,045 unserved Native American households, 64 Tribal businesses, and 19 community anchor institutions with fiber-to-the-home with 25 Gbps/3 Gbps service, construct a Tribal data center, install a tower, and provide workforce development training.
Spokane Tribe of Indians	WA	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment	$16,837,920.31	The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 800 unserved Native American households, 10 businesses, and 28 anchor institutions with fiber-to-the-home 100 Mbps/100 Mbps service.

Tuesday awards:

Applicant	Location	Type of Project	Funding Amount	Brief Description
Shoshone Bannock Tribes	ID	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment	$22,485,260.71	The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install mile and last mile fiber and last mile fixed wireless directly connecting 408 unserved Native American households with fiber-to-the-home 100 Mbps/100 Mbps service.
Chippewa Cree Tribe	MT	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment	$15,300,356.84	The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber and fixed wireless infrastructure to directly connect 770 unserved Native American households with fiber-to-the-home with 1 Gbps/ 1Gbps and/or fixed wireless to the home with 100 Mbps/20 Mbps service.
Nebraska Indian Community College	NE	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment	$1,243,000.00	The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 1,272 unserved Native American Households with fixed wireless to the home service of at least 25 Mbps/3Mbps.
Omaha Tribe of Nebraska	NE	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment	$3,753,450.75	The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber to directly connect 19 unserved community anchor institutions, deploy a wireless network to connect 710 unserved Native American households and 12 Native American businesses with fixed wireless to the home 25 Mbps/3 Mbps service, and construct a data server building to house IT equipment.
Oglala Sioux Tribe	SD	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment	$19,620,766.00	The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to construct a last mile broadband network and install fiber directly connecting 1,821 unserved Native American households with fixed wireless to the home service of up to 50 Mbps/10Mbps.
Rosebud Sioux Tribe	SD	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment	$48,352,973.57	The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber and LTE network directly connecting 1,526 unserved Native American households with fiber-to-the-home and/or fixed wireless to the home 602 Mbps/102 Mbps.
Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa	WI	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment	$8,047,002.00	The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber to directly connecting 705 unserved Native American households, 18 unserved Native American businesses, and 4 Native American community anchor institutions with fiber-to-the-home 940 Mbps/30Mbps service.