The NTIA awarded nine grants as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. These new grants, totaling more than $40.3 million, bring the total of the program to nearly $1.7 billion awarded to 130 Tribal entities. With funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Law, grants will expand high-speed internet service network deployment and digital skills training to improve access to education, jobs, and healthcare on Tribal lands.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the Administration “is committed to connecting all Tribal communities to affordable and reliable high-speed internet service.” She called the grants “a crucial step in closing the digital divide in Indian country.”
Tribes in six states received grants – Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Maine. The projects funded by these awards will directly connect 3,222 unserved Native American households as well as businesses and anchor institutions. Additionally, the nine grants will create 85 new jobs. Click here for specifics on each grant.
The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is a nearly $3 billion grant program and part of the Administration’s Internet for All Initiative. The funds are made available from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law ($2 billion) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 ($980 million).
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