Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians receive $8.43 million grant for broadband connectivity

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has received an $8.43 million Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to pay for the Tribe’s broadband program. It will provide high-speed internet access across Choctaw Tribal lands. The Tribe applied for the grant in the fall of 2021. The money will be used in part towards the Tribe’s partnership with MaxxSouth Broadband to expand the broadband service to over 2,000 tribal homes in six of the eight tribal communities. When completed in 2023, tribal homes who qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) through MaxxSouth Broadband will have access to a 650MB/sec broadband service at minimal to no charge per month, which Chief Cyrus Ben said is an unprecedented achievement for Indian Country.