Unlocking Opportunity: How Developing Tribal Broadband Advances Communities and Business Services
Broadband and telecommunications are sectors that represent areas of significant infrastructural need within tribal and Native lands, provide tremendous current opportunities for significant funding, and offer fertile ground for new partnerships with non-Native entities and governments. This virtual session brought together the foundational elements of plan development and implementation within the context of very relevant and ripe sectors.
This CoP session created space for a notable regional Native organization, the United South and Eastern Tribes (USET), to introduce themselves and their work, and gave tribal and agency staff room to share about the broadband projects and resources the have embarked on and offer across Indian Country.
The featured subject matter expert panelists were:
Jon Walton from Yurok Telecommunications
Ted Bulow from USDA Rural Development
Andrew Orosco with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
Joe Valandra from Tribal Ready
Matthew Rantanen from California Tribal Chairmen's Association (SCTCA) and representing TDVNetwork
Linnea Jackson and Matthew "Speygee" Douglas from the Hoopa Valley PUD and Acorn Wireless
Subject Matter Expert (SMEs):
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
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The Yurok Tribe exemplifies Tribal sovereignty in the broadband industry through the creation of the Yurok Telecommunications Corporation. Jon Walton, CEO of Yurok Telecom, credits their success to trusted tribal and non-tribal partners, state grants, and the tribe’s shared commitment to expanding broadband and sovereignty for the communities they serve. He encourages all tribal nations to align goals, embrace learning from mistakes, find trusted partners with expertise, and learn from Yurok’s experience.
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The USDA Rural Development, NTIA, EDA, state resources, and more provide funding for Native Nations and communities to invest in tribal sovereignty through creating broadband services and companies for their people. Grant funding typically covers only the initial construction of broadband systems, not the ongoing maintenance and operation of the network. Lydia Jackson emphasizes the importance of securing ongoing and flexible funding sources, which are especially critical for underserved tribal Nations.
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Joe Valandra points out that operating your Tribe’s broadband network ensures that Tribes avoid misunderstandings or mistreatment when working with incumbent providers. Lydia Jackson provides an example where a non-tribal entity evaluated the need for Hoopa Valley reservation broadband, but their reservation mapping was incorrect, highlighting the need for Tribal and Native-run organizations.
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Jon Walton, CEO of Yurok Telecommunications, shares that the Yurok Tribe works with the Hoopa Valley Tribe, the Karuk Tribe, and the Talawa Tribe to create meaningful partnerships and complete broadband projects. Matthew highlighted the Center for Tribal Ditial Sovereignty that helps tribes build their capacity. Matthew "Speygee" Douglas shared that Hoopa Valley Tribe communicates with other Native communities to learn about successful projects.
Native communities are unique and require non-conventional strategic plans to create widespread and large projects.
“Now is an opportunity for tribes to take control of their futures”
Session Summary
Resource Group Highlight
Resource Group Highlight
Regional Corner: United South and Eastern Tribes (USET)
Regional Corner: United South and Eastern Tribes (USET)
Rebecca Naragon, Economic Development Director of United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (USET), shares that USET, established in 1969, is a non-profit inter-tribal organization serving thirty-three (33) federally recognized tribal Nations from the Northeastern Woodlands to the Everglades and across the Gulf of Mexico. USET is dedicated to enhancing the development of tribal Nations, improving the capabilities of tribal governments, and improving the quality of life for Indian people through a variety of technical and supportive programmatic services.
USET has three core competencies: technical assistance through their Tribal Public Health Office, Office of Environmental Resource and Management, and Office of Economic Development.
Naragon discusses a quick overview of Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).
CEDS are created through the Economic Development Administration (EDA).
Main components of CEDS
Summary Background
SWOT Analysis
Strategic Direction/Action Plan
Evaluation Framework
Economic Resiliency
In 2016 USET was awarded the first ever large regional intertribal CEDS plan.
Rebecca Naragon introduces USET and Carolee Wenderoth shares EDA resources
Click to access USET resource: Toolkit for Writing a Tribal CEDS
Click to access: USET CEDS
Economic Development Administration (EDA) Corner
Economic Development Administration (EDA) Corner
EDA Broadband Resource: the Public Works program helps distressed communities revitalize, expand, and upgrade their physical infrastructure. ($5M available to indigenous communities).
National Telecommunications and Information Administration is the cornerstone of all broadband resources from the Department of Commerce.
Contact Carolee Wenderoth if you have any questions; she can direct you to the economic development representative in your area that would be able to highlight how you can participate in any EDA public works funding or programs that might be related to your broadband projects.
Project and Resource Highlights
Project and Resource Highlights
Tribal Broadband Introduction and Yurok Telecommunications
Tribal Broadband Introduction and Yurok Telecommunications
In the clip, Kevin Klingbeil introduces the topic of Indigenous broadband, emphasizing that broadband is a backbone and critical infrastructure for all community economic development activities.
Kevin Klingbeil introduces Tribal Broadband discussion and Jon Walton discusses about Yurok Telecom
Yurok Telecommunications is 100% owned by the Yurok Tribe and has been in existence for around 3 years. Jon Walton, CEO of Yurok Telecommunications, shares about this project:
Yurok Telecommunications was established to provide broadband and telecommunication services to everyone on the reservation and in the surrounding service area.
The Yurok area is challenging to live and work in; good connectivity is critical. The area has been underserved for many years – many residents do not have electricity in their homes.
This project is working through CPUC and NTIA grants, while running parallel is an electrification process going on through other grants. The plans outline their goal to provide broadband service to over 1500 locations on and around the reservation and the Yurok Tribes ancestral homelands over the next 18 months.
This project started in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Funds were used by the Tribe to establish a small wireless network to get some minimal essential services out to people on the reservation.
Jon encourages everyone who is thinking about telecommunications projects to know they can do so. If the project is not something your community can do on its own, having the right partners, training, and aligned goals can help you achieve critical infrastructure projects.
“Our belief is the sovereignty of the infrastructure on and around reservations is very important and we try to promote that both internally and with our partners.”
We partner with the Hoopa Tribe, the Karuk Tribe, the Talawa Tribe, and I think our feelings are that with the right partners and the right training and the right support, any tribe can build and own and maintain its own broadband and telecommunications infrastructure.”
USDA Rural Development Broadband & Telecom Programs
USDA Rural Development Broadband & Telecom Programs
Ted Bulow highlights the resources USDA Rural Development offers for tribal/Native communities, summarized below.
Communtiy
Ted Bulow highlights the resources USDA Rural Development offers for tribal/Native communities and examples of recipients
Broadband Infrastructure:
Telecommunication Infrastructure Loan (Many tribes have used this loan to establish their telecom and broadband organizations).
Example of a borrower Cheyenne River Sioux Telephone Authority.
ReConnect Loan and Grant Program. (Largest and youngest program. Round six will hopefully be announced. Most tribal Nations that participated in this program were grant only.)
Example: $19 million given to Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and $22 million to Standing Rock Telecommunications
Additional Telecom Programs:
Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grants (Applications are due by March 6, 2025. To purchase equipment needed for Telecom)
Broadband Technical Assistance (A cooperative agreement program where tribes can apply to get planning and feasibility money.)
Examples of Funds Recipients:
Community Connect Grant. Opens April 1st, 2025! April 21st deadline. Primarily applies to underserved areas. Two webinars are coming soon – March 12 and April 9th)
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Confederated Tribes of The Warm Springs Reservation
Tohono Oʼodham Nation in Arizona
Contact info:
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Resources
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Resources
Andrew Orosco introduces the resources NTIA offers for Tribal/Native communities, summarized below.
Andrew Orosco introduces the resources NTIA offers for Tribal/Native communities.
Tribal Connectivity Program ($3 billion funding pool, continuing to make awards in 2025)
Osage Nation utilized multiple funding sources to pay for broadband service for their elders for life.
Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program ($42.45 billion to expand high-speed Internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs.)
The Tribal Broadband Leaders network (Hosts monthly meetings with Tribal leaders and those authorized to speak on their behalf to hear Native voices.)
Tribal Ready
Tribal Ready
Joe Valandra introduced Tribal Ready, a Native-owned and governed company dedicated to advancing Tribal sovereignty.
Joe Valandra introduced Tribal Ready, a Native-owned and governed company dedicated to advancing Tribal sovereignty.
With the funding that is available from NTIA, USDA RD, and Treasury:
Because of the amount of money, the scope of projects, and the pressure, the infrastructure that is being built should and must be owned and operated by the tribes. This helps ensure that tribes avoid unnecessary misunderstandings or mistreatment from incumbent providers.
The grant funding that is available only funds the build - it only provides funding for the initial construction but does not finance the ongoing maintenance and operation. It is critical that sustainability - understanding all of the costs and components - is a critical focus of broadband projects. This helps further encourage tribal ownership and continued ownership of connectivity networks.
Incumbent organizations are excited to "pick up these (failing) networks for pennies on the dollar" - Joe encourages Tribal broadband practitioners to not let this happen!
Southern California Tribal Chairmen's Association (SCTCA)
Southern California Tribal Chairmen's Association (SCTCA)
Matthew Rantanen discusses SCTCA:
Matthew Rantanen discusses SCTCA:
Matthew has worked for SCTCA for 20 years. SCTCA works with 25 federally recognized tribes.
The capacity to build fiber networks in tribal communities is limited by the geography of Native communities and the physics of the network and the technology.
Providers in the past have built around reservations if they weren't able to work on reservations through using smoke and mirror tactics. There are 8,000 missing miles in lower 48 states. California has 1,800 of those miles. Matt works on policy to encourage increased resource allocation to tribal communities
During and after the pandemic, many tribes found their voices to share their needs with SCTCA and other organizations. SCTCA helps connect these tribes with grant writers, funding sources, and external partners to foster successful broadband projects
Hosts novel tribal broadband bootcamps to have open and honest discussions and facilitate learning about broadband networks and projects.
Learning how to work with contractors, with funders, how to hire folks to make these projects happen, how to share resources with other tribes to benefit customers.
How to get into the game, but also, for folks already in the game, how to pivot and enhance their networks and strategies.
450 attendees from 75 tribes.
Resource: Center for Tribal Digital Sovereignty
Hoopa Valley Public Utilities District (HVPUD) and Acorn Wireless
Hoopa Valley Public Utilities District (HVPUD) and Acorn Wireless
Lydia Jackson and Matthew "Speygee" Douglas discuss HVPUD and Acorn Wireless
Linnea Jackson (Hoopa Valley) discussed Hoopa Valley Tribe’s Public Utilities District (HVPUD):
The Hoopa Valley Tribe’s Public Utilities started off providing domestic water services, but over the last 40 years expanded those foundational utilities such as the Tribe’s domestic water irrigation, solid waste management, solid waste construction services, broadband and also energy projects.
Funding through the CARES Act was the seed money to start their broadband division here under the Public Utilities.
Needs assessment was a critical piece of understanding the connectivity needs and details about where connectivity was lacking in order to get infrastructure up that would directly address those needs.
Quickly realized that not only does the technology and the infrastructure need to take place, but business functions need to be grown right alongside. (e.g., business plans, overhead infrastructure, billing capacity, etc.) California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) funds were used to create feasibility studies for network operation center.
Ongoing and flexible funding sources are necessary and critical, especially for underserved Tribal Nations.
Reservation mapping incorrectly showed where reservations were allegedly already covered.
One time funding doesn't cut it since a) different tribes are in different stages, b) things change and initial plans changes, and c) different states have different requirements
Initial funding and other types (see recording)
“All of this helps support tribal sovereignty, self-determination, and we need the opportunity to secure funding for sustainability and longevity”
Matthew "Speygee" Douglas discusses Hoopa Valley PUD and Acron Wireless:
Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) played a big role into the first application to Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program Round 1. The CEDS helped the Hoopa team learn about sovereign approaches to large-scale project management.
CPUC technical assistance funding helped understand what it was that we needed to do on the business side after the technical needs were stablished.
Hoopa Valley has three teams for successful broadband planning: Internet service providers, manage service providers, and a digital equity program.
Hoopa Valley’s team has been trying to communicate with different Tribes and Native Hawaiian populations to find what has been successful for them.
Through going to the Tribal broadband boot camps and getting to hear conversations from people in the space, Speygee’s team learned things they might not have considered due to “tunnel vision.”. Speygee’s team realized there is a people-side to these projects. They then looked into and received the National Digital Navigator Corps grant to run a digital equity program.
Closing Thoughts
Closing Thoughts
There are resources available, including the above subject matter experts (SMEs), who can help tribes and their programs get involved in small- and large-scale projects.
Questions, with answers from the Resource Group and fellow participants, will continue to be posted in the Knowledge Bank on the CoP website. If you have questions that you want answered, please ask in the LinkedIn group or share it with the administrators.
Resources and Upcoming Events
Resources and Upcoming Events
Resources mentioned above:
Community Connect Grant. Opens April 1st, 2025! April 21st deadline.
Broadband and Telecommunications Resources:
AI and E-Commerce Resources:
Upcoming CoP Events:
