Internet Access on US Tribal Lands is Imperative to Daily and Creative Life

Tribal lands in the United States have often been sidelined or simply excluded from decisions critical to funding infrastructure initiatives and improvements. As COVID-19 revealed the internet to be an essential utility for daily life, the internet served as a lifeline and an opportunity for people living on reservations and other Tribal lands to connect with education, telehealth resources, businesses and the “at large” community. But with 628,000 Tribal households having no access to the internet, access to those critical services is lacking for too many. In honor of Indigenous People’s Day, Ookla for Good spoke with a Cherokee Nation citizen and advocate about the importance of the internet to Native communities. We’ve also provided analysis on internet performance on federally recognized Tribal lands and off-reservation trust land areas, including an easy download for anyone who would like to do further research on this important topic.

[Katherine is the Director of Ookla for Good, leading program initiatives in support of Ookla's mission to help make the internet better, faster and more accessible for everyone.]