Project Title:
Tribal Connectivity Grant Program
Funding Program:
Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program - Round 1
Project Purpose/Type:
This Planning, Engineering, Feasibility, and Sustainability project will fund preconstruction activities that will provide future fiber broadband service to 20 Tribal households and six Tribal businesses.
- Design of new wireless tower, access road, and data center.
- Preconstruction NEPA compliance for the anticipated ground-disturbing activities of building the wireless tower access road, installing the utilities, building the wireless tower, and building the future data center to serve the Tribal government needs.
- Provision of lowered cost, robust, easily scalable, future-proof, broadband service exceeding speeds of 100 Mbps.
This Broadband Use and Adoption project will prepay broadband service for 115 Tribal members for a period of two years.
State(s):
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$500,000.00Funding Amount
The Planning, Engineering, Feasibility, and Sustainability Studies activities include:
- Design and Engineering Broadband Infrastructure Deployment – Design the extension of the existing fiber approximately 3,500 feet and design a corresponding communications tower (including access road, utilities, and back-up generation) to be located on a high point on Tribal lands, in order to re-broadcast high speed broadband service wirelessly to 100% of Tribal lands, including all 100% of existing residences and business and 100% of future planned residential, business, health, education, Tribal government, and community facilities (community center, Tribal library, Tribal administration and museum, meeting facilities, etc.).
- Design and Engineer Broadband Infrastructure Deployment – Design a small fire-proof expandable data center and equipment to support the Tribe’s governmental functions, existing and future e-commerce activities, and federal contracting services requiring extensive cyber security and high-speed broadband access.
- NEPA Compliance – Perform preconstruction NEPA compliance for the anticipated ground disturbing activities of building the new wireless tower access road, installing the utilities, and construction of the wireless tower and future data center to serve the Tribal government needs.
The Broadband Use and Adoption activities include:
- Provide funding to offer a data plan for 24 months’ worth of the best broadband data services available for all 115 adult Tribal members living on and off the Tribe’s trust land.
- Hire an IT Consultant to assist the Tribe with the implementation of evaluating current service and purchasing the data plans for its membership.
Development of an infrastructure design that will serve 100% of the Tribal lands (all existing and future users including residential, business, and core institutions that serve the community) with lowered cost, robust, easily scalable, future-proof, broadband service exceeding speeds of 100 Mbps. A new and improved Tribal data center from Tribal lands that can serve the Tribal government and its enterprises, allowing room for growth and expansion for many years to come. With 100% of the individuals, Tribal businesses, and Tribal government departments having access to high-speed broadband, the Tribe expects to help address these issues in the following manner:
- Increase access to telehealth and other wellness services.
- Increase access to employment opportunities, work from home, and other telework opportunities.
- Increase job creation and new enterprise development.
- Increase access to small business opportunities for Tribal enterprise development.
- Increase access to education and job training opportunities for members to work in Tribal government and Tribal enterprises.
The preconstruction activities intend to benefit 20 Tribal households and 6 Tribal businesses. The Use and Adoption project will benefit 115 Tribal members.