FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 11, 2022
News Media Contact:
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NTIA, Office of Public Affairs, (202) 482-7002, press@ntia.gov
With Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, $600+ Million Awarded to 23 Tribal Entities in Latest Round of “Internet for All” Grants
WASHINGTON – The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced today it has awarded 23 grants as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP). These new grants, totaling more than $601.6 million, bring the total of the program to $1.35 billion awarded to 94 Tribal entities. With funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the grants will expand high-speed Internet network deployment and digital skills training to improve access to education, jobs, and healthcare on Tribal lands.
The new grants are being awarded in fifteen states – Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.
“We are making an historic investment in Tribal communities to ensure reliable, affordable high-speed Internet for all,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “These grants – made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - underscore President Biden’s commitment to closing the digital divide in the United States, especially within Tribal lands. Today’s awards will not only build high-speed Internet capacity within Tribal Nations, but also bring digital opportunities for good-paying jobs, education, and healthcare.”
These awards are 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.
In Washington state, the fiber infrastructure installation funded by this grant will connect 2,867 unserved Native American households and 140 anchor institutions on the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to high-speed Internet. The Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma will connect 5,899 unserved Native American households with wireless technology. Details of all awardees and their projects are available in the table below.
The projects funded by these awards will directly connect 42,268 unserved Native American households that previously had no connectivity to high-speed Internet as well as businesses and anchor institutions. Additionally, the 23 grants will create 1,073 new jobs.
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 the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 ($980 million) and President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law ($2 billion). Additional grants will be announced on a rolling basis this fall. In total, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes $65 billion to provide affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet across the country.
A Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for $1 billion in funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be announced in the coming months. NTIA recently held three Tribal Consultations with Tribal leaders to solicit their input on the NOFO.
Internet for All
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes a historic $65 billion investment to expand affordable and reliable high-speed Internet access in communities across the U.S. NTIA recently launched a series of new high-speed Internet grant programs funded by the law that will build high-speed Internet infrastructure across the country, create more low-cost high-speed Internet service options, and address the digital equity and inclusion needs in our communities.
Additionally, the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Visit getinternet.gov to learn more.
For more information on the Biden-Harris Administration’s high-speed Internet programs as well as quotes from the awardees, please visit InternetforAll.gov.
| Applicant | Location | Type of Project | Funding Amount | Brief Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel Native Corporation | Alaska | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $42,383,221.00 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 2,129 unserved Native American households with qualifying broadband of 1 Gbps download/50 Mbps upload. |
| Calista Corporation | Alaska | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $52,559,385.14 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber to directly connect 2,967 unserved Native American households across 10 Alaska Native Villages within the Calista Region with fiber-to-the-home 100 Gbps/100 Gbps symmetrical service. |
| Choggiung Limited | Alaska | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $29,532,501.00 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber to directly connect 944 unserved Alaska Native households with 100 Mbps symmetrical fiber to home service. |
| Dilkon Chapter | Arizona | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $33,246,806.32 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 3,643 unserved Native American households, plus anchor institutions and businesses, with a minimum of 25/3 Mbps wireless service. |
| Round Valley Indian Tribes | California | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $13,514,977.00 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber and wireless directly connecting 726 unserved Tribal households, 3 unserved Tribal businesses, and 7 unserved Tribal community anchor institutions with 1 Gbps/10 Gbps qualified broadband service. |
| Ute Mountain Ute Tribe | Colorado | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $22,727,873.52 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install two middle-mile routes across non-contiguous Tribal lands in two states, and will build a last-mile FTTP infrastructure to connect the 104 homes, businesses, and Tribal government locations in White Mesa, Utah, directly connecting approximately 817 unserved Native American households, 7 unserved Tribal businesses, and 36 unserved community anchor institutions with qualifying broadband with a range of services starting at 200 Mbps symmetrical speeds to 1 Gbps symmetrical speeds. |
| Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas | Kansas | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $3,710,576.00 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 354 unserved Native American households plus businesses with qualifying broadband service at speeds of 120/20 Mbps. |
| Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Indians | Minnesota | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $19,800,704.00 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 2,097 unserved Native American households, plus more than 60 businesses and community anchor institutions with up to 1 Gbps fiber to the home qualifying broadband service. |
| Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation | Montana | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $33,235,003.92 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 4,482 unserved Native American households with fiber to home service at speeds ranging from 50/5 Mbps to 250/25 Mbps w/100 millisecond latency. |
| Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes | Montana | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $41,572,831.55 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber and wireless to directly connect 927 unserved Tribal households, 35 unserved Tribal businesses, and 22 unserved Tribal community anchor institutions with a minimum of 30 Mbps/5 Mbps and up to 1 Gbps qualifying broadband service. |
| Standing Rock Telecommunications, Inc. | North Dakota | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $8,637,951.60 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fixed wireless to directly connect around 1,000 unserved households with 50 Mbps/10 Mbps fixed wireless service. |
| Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska | Nebraska | Broadband Use and Adoption and Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $35,252,376.44 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 602 unserved Tribal households, 40 unserved Tribal businesses, and 16 unserved Tribal community anchor institutions with 100/100 Mbps qualifying broadband service. |
| Cherokee Nation | Oklahoma | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $33,947,876.75 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber and wireless technology directly connecting 5,899 unserved Native American households with 100/20 Mbps wireless service. |
| Chickasaw Nation | Oklahoma | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $50,000,000.00 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber and fixed wireless to directly connect 2,784 unserved Native American households with broadband speeds of 100 Mbps symmetrical. |
| Kaw Nation | Oklahoma | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $8,819,394.71 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install high- speed fiber optic and wireless broadband facilities directly connecting 800 unserved Native American households, plus 50 medium/large-sized businesses, 200 small/home office businesses, and approximately 50 community anchor institutions such as schools, libraries, police and fire departments, and community colleges with qualifying broadband service at speeds up to 100/20 Mbps service. |
| Sac and Fox Nation | Oklahoma | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $35,807,104.13 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 7,611 unserved Native American households plus businesses and anchor institutions with 1000/1000 Mbps service. |
| Seminole Nation of Oklahoma | Oklahoma | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $12,945,065.97 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 3,371 unserved Native American households, 22 unserved Tribal businesses, and 24 unserved Tribal community anchor institutions with 150 Mbps /150 Mbps qualified broadband service. |
| Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation | Oregon | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $15,504,758.00 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 342 unserved Tribal households with a minimum of 100 Mbps/100 Mbps qualifying broadband service. |
| Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas | Texas | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $2,623,357.00 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 354 unserved Native American households plus businesses with qualifying broadband service at speeds of 120/20 Mbps. |
| Ute Indian Tribe | Utah | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $15,854,541.53 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 590 unserved Native American households, 14 businesses, and 16 anchor institutions with service of at least 250 Mbps symmetrical. |
| Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation | Washington | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $48,405,830.78 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 2,867 unserved Native American households with qualifying broadband with the following speeds: Fiber: 1 Gbps symmetrical; wireless: 300/30 Mbps. |
| Lummi Nation | Washington | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $15,942,129.05 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 2,273 unserved Native American households, 193 Tribal businesses, and 23 anchor institutions with 1 Gbps symmetrical speeds. |
| Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians | Wisconsin | Broadband Infrastructure Deployment | $25,660,167.93 |
The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber directly connecting 2,300 unserved Native American households, plus 25 businesses, the Tribal Government, and 19 community anchor institutions with qualifying broadband service at speeds up to 100 Mbps symmetrical. |