Tribes are Connecting Residents With Broadband. Better Data Could Amplify Success Stories.

In 1958, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe purchased a telephone company, becoming the first network of its kind in the US. Since then, eight other Tribes have purchased telecommunications companies. With unprecedented funding for broadband and the migration of financial, health, educational, and employment services online, more Tribes are leading efforts for better broadband in their communities. Trusted community messengers are essential to helping drive enrollment. Although the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) offers a $75 a month discount on Tribal lands, researchers with the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society found that lack of awareness is the main reason eligible households don’t enroll. In Native households, Tribes have a proven track record of building support for federal programs through a community-centered approach. Still, 33% of reservation residents do not have broadband service at home and must rely on their smartphone for Internet, with 18% have no Internet connectivity at all. More funding than ever is available for connecting residents on Tribal lands, including through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP). To date, NTIA has awarded almost $2 billion in funding to over 166 projects across the US, with $1 billion in TBCP left to distribute. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviewed the TBCP and found that while NTIA targets connecting 200,000 with reliable, affordable broadband, the agency has not defined reliable or affordable. Clear and quantifiable data could help applicants and federal policymakers alike assess progress and address broadband gaps that remain after funding runs out.