Navajo Nation Approves $244.6M Broadband Investment

The Navajo Nation Council last week announced the approval of a $244.6 million broadband package to preserve nearly $287 million in federal funding for broadband infrastructure and expand connectivity across the Nation.

Approved unanimously on July 2, the funding includes $76 million for the first year and $169.1 million in future financing. Around 80 percent will support a Nation-owned, open-access network of towers and fiber infrastructure that private providers can lease, while 15 percent will serve as the local match required to unlock federal BEAD funding.

Backed by provisional BEAD awards from Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, the $373 million initiative is expected to connect approximately 31,000 unserved and underserved homes using fiber, fixed wireless and satellite technologies.