Navajo Tribal Utility Authority

The project proposes the following activities designed to improve access to, and use of, broadband services among Tribal members:

• Construct four 199’ self-supporting towers, five 190’ self-supporting towers, one 120’ self-supporting tower and 1 120’ monopole towers to deliver qualifying mobile (600 MHz) and fixed wireless (EBS/2.5 GHz) service to an estimated 3,464 Native American households and businesses across seven Navajo Nation tribal chapters. 
• Outfit five existing towers with the necessary electronics to provide qualifying fixed wireless (CBRS/3.5 GHz) service to an estimated 777 Native American households and businesses.  
• Construct a 195’ wireless tower to directly connect 39 unserved Native American households to qualifying service of 100/20 Mbps. 
• Install 116.5 miles of 96-count and 12-count ADSS fiber cable to provide transport to six new tower builds and to connect three existing towers, five chapter houses, two Head Start program locations, one school, and one courthouse to NTUA’s main fiber network. ADSS (all-dielectric self-supporting) fiber is strong enough to support itself between structures without using conductive metal elements. It is an economical and simple means of building a fiber optic network. 
• Deploy a GPON (Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network) system to provide qualifying service of up to 1000/1000 Mbps to 405 rural unserved and underserved Native American households. GPON distributes voice over IP, video, ultra-bandwidth for HDTV, online gaming, etc. 
• Install a fiber backbone along existing highway routes providing qualifying service to households, schools, and businesses. 
• Upgrade fiber routes to provide the Dine College Window Rock and Shiprock campuses with qualifying service of 10G and 2G, respectively; 
• Establish a 10G private Ethernet connection between the Window Rock and Shiprock campuses. 
• Upgrade fiber optic transport electronics at 14 backbone locations across the NTUA network to increase data transfer speeds from 100 Gbps to 800 Gbps. 
• Procure and install in-vehicle router/model solutions in Navajo Nation public safety vehicles to enhance mobile broadband connectivity for first responders. 
• Deploy wireless equipment to provide qualifying service to 90 unserved Navajo Nation Chapter Houses. 
• Increase LTE (long term evolution) coverage by 2,471 square miles by constructing two new LTE sites, adding LTE service to 13 existing 2G/3G sites, and adding new LTE carriers on two existing sites. LTE is a standard for wireless broadband for mobile devices and data terminals, enabling faster downloading of files.
• Establish a 10 Gbps Direct Internet Access (DIA) network to Navajo Technical University locations. 
• Co-locate FirstNet Band 14 spectrum and commercial LTE spectrum on two existing tower sites. 
• Create approximately 40 temporary jobs in construction and as right-away agents, tower installers, fiber and radio technicians, and communication engineers. 
• Create approximately 16 permanent positions including network operation agents, project managers, and project administrators. 

This project will:

• Provide access to remote learning, telework, online health, public safety, and education programs to 20,827 unserved and underserved Native American households, students of Dine College, and all Navajo Nation residents who use public services.
• Provide broadband to help Tribal Chapters have access to new communication avenues needed to educate and access necessary information to keep healthy and safe. 
• To enhance workforce development for Tribal members.
• To enhance digital inclusion and digital literacy skills of Tribal members. 

The project intends to benefit 20,827 unserved and underserved Native American households, students of Dine College, and all Navajo Nation residents who utilize public services.