Pinoleville Pomo Nation in California and the Ketchikan Indian Community in Alaska were awarded almost $1 million in grants Feb. 28 for broadband connectivity by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
These grants in the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program will fund broadband use and adoption projects to improve healthcare, workforce development, education, housing and social services in these communities, said a Feb. 28 NTIA news release.
“Tribal communities in Alaska and California continue to face barriers to broadband access and digital inclusion. These grants are bringing us one step closer to eliminating those barriers,” said Alan Davidson, assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information, in the release. “Today’s awards represent another milestone in our journey to close the digital divide and provide these communities with the resources they need to thrive in the 21st century.”
The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program 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.
The NTIA has given a total of $4.8 million in funding through the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program.
The Pinoleville Pomo Nation in Mendocino, Lake and Sonoma counties of California will receive $496,977 to help develop programs and resources to address COVID-19 concerns and to enable telehealth, remote learning, telework, entrepreneurship, economic growth and job creation.
The $500,000 awarded to the Ketchikan Indian Community will fund upgraded equipment for qualifying broadband services at six facilities it owns that deliver healthcare, workforce development, education, housing, social services, behavioral health and natural resources.
