CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Trump Administration says the U.S. Department of Interior’s Indian Affairs of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED) has approved the National Tribal Broadband Grant program (NTBG) that gives American Indians the ability to extend broadband services in their areas.
The NTBG program will fund 23 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, plus two Navajo Nation communities, to study the option of developing their broadband services, according to a news release.
“Broadband can dramatically improve the quality of life in American Indian and Alaska Native communities,” said Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Tara Katuk Sweeney. “Quick, convenient and reliable access to the internet is a modern necessity. Yet, tribes frequently find themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide. These grants are an important first step in bringing broadband to communities that sorely need them.”
The NTBG grants will allow those communities to hire qualified consultants to research the potential expansion of high-speed internet through digital subscriber lines, cable modems, satellite, and broadband-over-power lines, according to a news release.
The purpose of the NTBG program is to help economic development and create commercial activity, create opportunities for self-employment, enhance educational resources and remote learning opportunities to Native American communities in need, according to a news release.
The Trump Administration says fifty-five proposals were submitted by tribal applicants ending June 15th, and grants were decided based on how positive an impact broadband could bring to the applicant’s community.
All 23 of the NTGB grants were given to communities in Opportunity Zones, economically distressed communities where new investments may be eligible for better tax treatment, according to a news release.
The Fiscal Year 2020 grantees and funding amounts are:
Blackfeet Tribe, Montana — $46,000
Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes, Alaska — $50,000
Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma — $50,000
Circle Native Community, Alaska — $40,000
Dilkon Chapter, Navajo Nation, Arizona — $50,000
Fort Belknap Indian Community, Montana — $49,546
Hoopa Valley Tribe, California — $49,500
Hualapai Indian Tribe, Arizona — $50,000
Kayenta Township, Navajo Nation, Arizona – $48,778
Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, Montana — $50,000
Metlakatla Indian Community of the Annette Island Reserve, Alaska — $50,000
Native Village of Barrow Iñupiat Traditional Government, Alaska– $49,606
Native Village of Unalakleet, Alaska — $49,504
Noorvik Native Community, Alaska — $50,000
Oglala Sioux Tribe, South Dakota — $50,000
Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico — $50,000
Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Wisconsin — $33,500
Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians, California — $48,500
Seneca Nation of Indians, New York — $50,000
Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation, South Dakota — $39,360
Spirit Lake Tribe, North Dakota — $50,000
Susanville Indian Rancheria, California — $47,016
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Colorado — $49,840
Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, Oklahoma — $50,000
Yurok Tribe, California — $48,850
Visit the IEED website for information about other programs and services.
