Project Title:
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program
Funding Program:
Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program - Round 1
Project Purpose/Type:
This project will support initial phases of a significant broadband initiative of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (ECBI) by funding project management; land; structures; rights-of-way; appraisals; and project inspection fees.
State(s):
-
$500,000.00Funding Amount
The grant funding provided by NTIA will be utilized as part of a much larger broadband deployment initiative undertaken by EBCI. The EBCI will construct a new fiber network utilizing existing utility pole agreements across tribal lands and buried fiber where practicable. Due to the mountainous terrain of the Cherokee homelands, the EBCI will be required to employ a variety of techniques and technologies to construct the fiber network. The EBCI will need to undertake a significant amount of pole repairs and secure additional rights-of-way and pole applications to prepare for construction. Importantly, it is imperative the tribe build a robust inspection process to ensure the quality and integrity of the fiber network.
The project will enable the necessary preparation for deployment of the larger infrastructure component aimed at connecting tribal members. After supporting the initial phase of this project, the infrastructure component will expand and facilitate access to broadband services.
The 100-square-mile sovereign nation of the EBCI encompasses parts of five Western North Carolina counties (largest towns), which are Cherokee (Andrews/Murphy), Graham (Robbinsville), Jackson (Sylva), Haywood (Waynesville/Maggie Valley), and Swain (Bryson City). Its central community is the town of Cherokee, located within a one-hour drive west of Asheville, NC. The beneficiaries of the project are 4,000 unserved households that will be served by 250 miles of fiber optic cables with broadband speeds of 1,000 Mbps.