NTIA Awards Additional $1.5 Million in Broadband Grants to Tribal Groups

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced it has awarded three additional grants as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. These grants, totaling $1.5 million, are being awarded to the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians in Lincoln (OR) and two Alaskan villages: the Village of Clarks Point and the Native Village of Selawik. The two Alaskan grants will fund broadband use and adoption projects, while the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians will use their grant for a planning study. NTIA has now made a total of seven awards totaling about $4 million in funding through the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. NTIA will announce additional awards on a rolling basis as it goes through its review process. The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, which was funded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, makes $980 million available for grants to eligible Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian entities for broadband deployment, digital inclusion, workforce development, telehealth, and distance learning.