Digital Divide Diaries: The Hoopa Valley Versus The Digital Divide

This summer, the mountains moved in Hoopa Valley (CA). As a wildfire burned through trees and vegetation, a thunderstorm dropped two inches of rain in one day. Meanwhile, online, residents were clamoring to Facebook to learn what had happened. Others started to email Frank, who serves as a youth coordinator with Save California Salmon and Miss Na:tini-we’, a cultural and political ambassador for the Hoopa Valley Tribe. She didn’t have any answers at first. Together with her coworkers, she tried to assess the damage, but there was no cell service, no cellular data, or internet near the river. It took three days before she could gather the information and find a connection to publish it online. But the demand for the internet has outstripped the region’s limited infrastructure. However, fall of 2022, the Hoopa Valley Utilities District received more than $65 million in funding from the federal government to improve its internet infrastructure. The new grant will expand the current wireless network and introduce underground cables that connect directly to homes. The expansion plans to connect 1,000 households in the tribe, 64 businesses, and 19 community institutions like schools and hospitals. The wires are just a start, though as many residents, especially older ones, need support learning how to use or trust technology.