The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded two grants as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. These grants, totaling approximately $51 million, are awarded to Doyon, Limited and Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission in Alaska. These grants will fund high-speed internet connections to 581 unserved Alaska Native households across numerous villages in the Doyon region and enable high-speed internet adoption in eight Tribal governments of the Ahtna region for activities including telehealth, distance learning, telework, and workforce development.
“The digital divide on our tribal lands, especially in remote Alaska, is stark,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “The necessary investment through the administration’s Internet for All initiative provides real change to these communities to participate in the digital economy, whether it’s education, health or jobs.”
“Alaska’s geography, terrain, climate, and vast size have created significant obstacles to developing broadband infrastructure. For the first time, some of Alaska’s most underserved communities will receive high-speed internet access made possible by the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Grant program. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 created this program and made $980 million available for grants to eligible Native entities for broadband deployment,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), speaking from Tuesday’s Alaska Broadband Summit & Workshop. Inside Towers reported on how representatives from the NTIA, FCC and the USDA at the event described coordinating efforts to avoid over-building as they prepare to accept state plans for broadband deployment funds.
NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson is visiting Alaska this week to see firsthand the unique challenges and opportunities Alaska faces in implementing high-speed internet service expansion enabled by the bipartisan Infrastructure Law. “It is humbling to see first-hand how these grants will positively impact the daily lives of Alaskan Natives who have been disconnected for far too long,” said Davidson. “Access to affordable and reliable high-speed internet for these remote villages means the ability to keep customs and traditions alive while providing an opportunity to live in the village and work in good-paying jobs remotely.”
The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program makes $980 million available for grants to eligible Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian entities for broadband deployment. NTIA has now made a total of 46 awards totaling more than $143 million in funding through the program.
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