Federal policy failures and incumbent provider neglect are largely to blame responsible for Internet access inequities on Tribal land. Increasingly, Native Nations are beginning to address the digital divide on their own lands and on their own terms.
Thanks to the dedicated people who spent years building networks and advocating on behalf of Indigenous connectivity, the last several years have opened new policy opportunities for Tribal broadband. ILSR is home to several of these dedicated individuals as we’ve supported the launch and expansion of Tribal Broadband Bootcamps to help close the connectivity gap on Tribal lands. The program has contributed to the doubling of Tribal networks since 2020, with more planned bootcamps on the way.
Go Inside the Bootcamp Experience
As Tribes work in record numbers to close the digital divide in Indian Country, they need good policy that facilitates self-determined and sustainable solutions. Our report, Native Nations and Federal Telecom Policy Failures finds that the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), to the contrary, required Tribal governments to spend their own time and resources to fix broken processes. The report highlights promising solutions in the form of Tribal consent policies adopted by the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, but reveals that many states are making it easy for RDOF to wrongly disqualify Tribal lands for BEAD eligibility. Tribes may have to invest yet more resources to ensure a fair shake.
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ILSR's Chris Mitchell shares insights on the mission and vision of the Tribal Broadband Bootcamps he partnered in forming with Matthew Rantanen.
Colorado River Indian Tribe's award is a reminder that the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is not the be-all and end-all of funding for Tribal broadband.
Evan Malmgreno covers Tribes using federal grants to create their own Internet providers, and how it takes more than money to get a community online.
Necessary funding to bridge a "high-cost area" Internet coverage gap may be inaccessible if states fail to make a match exemption feasible.