Native Americans On Tribal Land Are 'The Least Connected' To High-Speed Internet

Just over half of Native Americans living on American Indian reservations or other tribal lands with a computer have access to high-speed internet service, according to new estimates from the US Census Bureau. The low rate of subscription to a high-speed internet service — 53 percent — in these often rugged, rural areas underscores the depth of the digital divide between Indian Country and the rest of the US Between 2013 and 2017, 82 percent of households nationally with a computer reported having a subscription to a broadband internet service. The latest data from the bureau's American Community Survey also show a stark national gap in high-speed internet subscription rates between Native Americans generally (67 percent) and those who do not identify as American Indian or Alaska Native (82 percent).