Native American Reservations Still Struggle to Get Basic Internet Connections

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai says bringing broadband to rural areas is his highest priority, but since there aren’t lucrative deals to be made, service providers have generally ignored rural communities like the one I called home. This puts opportunities afforded to the connected population out of reach and disproportionately affects Native American communities. Service providers haven’t had the incentive to establish connectivity in areas with rugged terrain. The FCC recently approved almost $5 billion in subsidies to be distributed among locations lacking broadband access. This will allow states with rural locations to work toward providing internet access to residents affected. The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs heard testimony from Belinda Nelson, chairperson of Gila River Telecommunications, who listed access to licensed spectrum, secondary market licensing, reforms to tribal bidding credit, and build or divest mechanisms as solutions to bridging the gap in Native access.

[Northern Cheyenne freelance writer with an interest in culture and politics.]