Project Title:
Narragansett Indian Tribe Broadband Program
Funding Program:
Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program
Project Purpose/Type:
This Broadband Use and Adoption project proposes to increase broadband services and access for Tribal members who reside on ancestral lands in Washington County, Rhode Island. The project aims to provide distance learning capabilities and strengthen digital literacy, improve broadband speeds and affordability of services for community members, and generate workforce development and job creation.
State(s):
-
$2,498,250.00Funding Amount
The project will implement four activities aimed at addressing challenges faced by Native Americans in the Tribal service area in addition to enabling better use of the Tribe’s FCC 2.5 GHz license. The key activities include:
- Purchase equipment and services to install, own, and operate high-speed fixed broadband equipment on existing infrastructure owned or lease by the Tribe that will provide better, more affordable, broadband coverage with speeds up to 1 Gbps;
- Purchase laptop computers for 258 Tribal school-age children; and
- Generate training and employment opportunities for Tribal members. Project implementation anticipates the hiring of a general manager responsible for general oversight and accountability for broadband services expansion. Additional roles include IT personnel, accounting, sales, and customer support.
Increase access to broadband service in Washington county currently lacking due to cost. Increase digital literacy and expand distance learning opportunities for Tribal members. Create a digital resource to strengthen and preserve cultural identity through a digital ecosystem, with an emphasis on digital skills development. The digital resources will also benefit the broader indigenous community who share the Algonquian language family. Develop training and employment opportunities for Tribal members that are sustained through the Tribe’s 10-year lifecycle FCC 2.5 GHz license.
The project will serve a Tribal population of approximately 3,400 individuals and specifically 700 Tribal members who attend public schools in Washington County.