Biden-Harris Administration Announces $8.39 Million in Internet for All Grants to Tribal Lands

WASHINGTON – The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced today it has awarded grants totaling $8,394,947.57 to 17 Tribes as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP).

With funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, these new grants bring the total of the program to over $1.77 billion awarded to 183 Tribal entities. Record investments in high-speed internet deployment are a key part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.

These new grants come just days after the President announced over $40 billion through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories to deploy affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service to everyone in America.

This funding from President Biden’s Internet for All initiative will help reduce monthly Internet service costs, plan for future Internet infrastructure investments, upgrade network equipment, and purchase devices.

“President Biden has been clear that everyone in the country deserves the opportunities that come with a quality, affordable Internet connection, and that includes Indian country. These investments will help expand Internet access and close the digital divide on Tribal lands across the country,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

This award is part of the Biden Administration’s commitment to nation-to-nation engagement and an effort to connect everyone in America, including Native Americans and Alaskan Natives, to affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service.

The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is a nearly $3 billion grant program and part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Internet for All Initiative. The funds are made available from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law ($2 billion) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 ($980 million). The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides a historic $65 billion in funding to connect everyone in America.

What They're Saying

A diverse group of stakeholders have offered their support for these grants. Click below to read their statements.

Read Additional Statements

These grants are part of the TBCP’s equitable distribution process in recognition of the federal Indian trust responsibility and fiduciary obligation to Tribal governments. This process, also laid out in statute and in NTIA’s first TBCP Notice of Funding Opportunity, is intended to ensure that program funding is available to all eligible federally recognized Tribal governments who had a qualifying application. The grants listed below allow for Tribal communities to move forward in planning for future high-speed Internet infrastructure projects or promoting Internet use and adoption.

In the next few months, NTIA will release a second Notice of Funding Opportunity for an additional round of funding from the TBCP program.

This investment is part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which is growing the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out by rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, expanding access to high-speed Internet service, creating a manufacturing and innovation boom powered by good-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, and building a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient.

A diverse group of stakeholders have offered their support for these grants. Read What They're Saying: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $8.39 Million in Internet for All Grants to Tribal Lands.

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About the National Telecommunications and Information Administration   

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is the Executive Branch agency that advises the President on telecommunications and information policy issues. NTIA’s programs and policymaking focus largely on expanding broadband Internet access and adoption in America, expanding the use of spectrum by all users, advancing public safety communications, and ensuring that the Internet remains an engine for innovation and economic growth. 

Applicant	Amount	Award Type	State	Description
Colusa Indian Community Council	$481,533.85	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment	California	This Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to deploy last mile FTTH to 39 unserved Tribal households on the Colusa Rancheria with broadband speeds of 30/30 Mbps and minimal latency.
Santa Ynez Band of Mission Indians (aka Chumash Indians)	$500,000.00	Planning, Engineering, Feasibility, and Sustainability	California	The proposed preconstruction project’s goals include: Developing a shovel-ready project for the deployment of an FTTH network; conducting a Reservation-wide infrastructure survey and GIS mapping, environmental studies, and outside plant and network engineering; developing a broadband strategic plan and obtain technical assistance to manage RFPs to select contractors for network deployment.  The project intends to benefit 49 existing households, 143 households that will be developed, 19 businesses, and 12 community anchor institutions.
Bishop Paiute Tribe	$499,935.50	Planning, Engineering, Feasibility, and Sustainability	California	This Planning, Engineering, Feasibility, and Sustainability project will focus on the pre-construction planning of a broadband network which will ultimately allow the Tribe to provide a service level above 25/3 Mbps and under 100 ms latency for all 574 households, 55 businesses, and 27 anchor institutions on the Bishop Paiute Reservation.  The project consists of planning, mapping, and engineering in preparation for deployment of a broadband network comprising a Fiber to the Home (FTTH) solution covering 50% of households and a cost-effective LTE network site operating in the 2.5 GHz EBS spectrum band covering 50% of households.  The network will provide services focused on residential, business, and institutional users.
Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation, California	$500,000.00	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment & Planning, Engineering, Feasibility, and Sustainability	California	This Planning, Engineering, Feasibility, and Sustainability Studies project and Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project will expand an existing fiber network directly to 15 unserved Tribal households and 4 unserved Tribal community anchor institutions by providing high-speed reliable Internet access at a minimum of 100/20 Mbps with a latency of less than 1 ms.
Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone	$500,000.00	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment & Planning, Engineering, Feasibility, and Sustainability	Nevada	The Te-Moak Tribe will utilize the first phase of their broadband project by concentrating on obtaining fiber to their current administrative building. White Cloud Communication, the broadband service provider, designed a Fiber to the Premises system made up of underground fiber and/or air fiber to meet the needs of the Te-Moak Tribe.  This utilization of multiple technologies will help ensure successful connectivity for the Tribal members.
Pueblo of Tesuque	$413,479.00	Planning, Engineering, Feasibility, and Sustainability	New Mexico	This Planning, Engineering, Feasibility, and Sustainability project will provide a turnkey program to deploy broadband fiber that will ensure Pueblo members have reliable qualifying broadband service.
Ohkay Owingeh	$500,000.00	Broadband Use and Adoption	New Mexico	This Broadband Use and Adoption project will provide no-cost monthly qualifying wireless broadband service to 250 unserved Pueblo households, including the initial cost for the installation of existing Ohkay Owingeh equipment in 250 unserved households.
The Seneca Nation of Indians	$500,000.00	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment	New York	This Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project will enhance Wi-Fi infrastructure located on Tribal land and seek to enhance opportunities to utilize the Tribe’s recently secured FCC 2.5 GHz license.
Mohawk Networks, LLC	$499,999.22	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment	New York	Mohawk Networks is focused on prioritizing public health and safety for the community by ensuring first responders have greater connectivity, redundancy, and higher availability, through deployment of equipment and utilization of the Tribe’s 2.5 GHz licensed spectrum.  The radio and customer premises equipment will allow for mobile communications and the ability to provide broadband connectivity to homes that are not connected to the existing fiber plant.
Wichita & Affiliated Tribes	$500,000.00	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment	Oklahoma	This Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project will build out and upgrade broadband services for last mile users and anchor institutions utilizing 2.5 GHz wireless service.
Tonkawa Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma	$500,000.00	Planning, Engineering, Feasibility, and Sustainability	Oklahoma	This Planning, Engineering, Feasibility, and Sustainability Studies project will allow the Tonkawa Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma to design a network to connect all Tribal homes within their service area to high-speed internet. Additionally, the Tribe will purchase materials for future use
Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma	$500,000.00	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment	Oklahoma	This Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project will provide a 3.5 GHz CBRS spectrum broadband network covering 99.74% of Tribal households with minimum 25/3 broadband speeds.  The project will construct two fixed FWA network sites utilizing an existing tower and the construction of an additional tower.
Muscogee (Creek) Nation	$500,000.00	Planning, Engineering, Feasibility, and Sustainability	Oklahoma	This Planning, Feasibility, Engineering, and Suitability project aims to design a future shovel-ready Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project utilizing middle and last-mile fiber connections in addition to fixed wireless connectivity connections.  A comprehensive plan will provide Tribal members and entities better access to education, telehealth, and workforce development opportunities, in addition to closing the digital divide.
Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe	$500,000.00	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment	Washington	The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to construct a Technology Office which will hold a server room and be outfitted to protect the equipment for future growth.  The new Technology Office will have offices for the IT Department that will allow for easy access to the servers and broadband equipment, along with a centralized place for personnel.
Quinault Indian Nation	$500,000.00	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment	Washington	This Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to purchase conduit reels that will be used for the installation of a future fiber network that will provide service to 475 unserved Tribal households, 11 businesses, and 25 community anchor institutions.
Hoh Indian Tribe	$500,000.00	Planning, Engineering, Feasibility, and Sustainability	Washington	This Planning, Engineering, Feasibility, and Sustainability project will fund pre-construction activities, including network design engineering, permitting, and an environmental review, to provide future fiber broadband service to 30 Tribal households and three Tribal Community Anchor Institutions.
Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin	$500,000.00	Broadband Infrastructure Deployment	Wisconsin	This Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project will deploy a middle-mile and FTTH network to increase access to rural broadband on the Menominee Indian Reservation.