Two Alaska Native entities were awarded an estimated $51 million in grants in the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, the Department of Commerce announced during an Internet for All roundtable in Fairbanks.
The Department of Commerce and its National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced Doyon, Limited and Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission in Alaska are the recipients of these grants, according to an Aug. 11 release.
“The digital divide on our Tribal lands, especially in remote Alaska, is stark,” Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in the release. “The necessary investment through the Biden-Harris Internet for All initiative provides real change to these communities to participate in the digital economy, whether it’s education, health or jobs.”
These grants will enable the adoption of high-speed internet in eight Tribal governments of the Ahtna region for activities such as telehealth, distance learning, telework and workforce development, the release reported. They will also fund high-speed internet connections for 581 underserved Alaska Native households spread across numerous villages in the Doyon region of Alaska.
High-speed, reliable internet can be life-changing for a community, Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said, according to the release. It can enhance health care and education delivery. And it may open doors for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
“Many of our rural, Alaska Native communities for too long have found themselves without the broadband connectivity that most Americans take for granted,” Sullivan said in the release. “I applaud NTIA for awarding these significant grants to help break down the digital divide in our state, and improve the lives and well-being of Alaskans.”
