Tribal Regions
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is committed to increasing high-speed Internet access for Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities. The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) is a $3 billion program directed to eligible Tribal entities to be used for broadband deployment on Tribal lands, as well as for telehealth, distance learning, broadband affordability, and digital inclusion. These awards are part of the Administration’s commitment to nation-to-nation engagement and an effort to connect everyone in America, including Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Alaska Natives, to affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service. As of the end of 2023, the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth (OICG) has awarded more than $1.86 billion to 226 Tribal entities.
In 2023, TBCP announced the remaining awards closing out the first TBCP Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Examples of these awards are included in the Tribal Regional Summaries below. Included in awards are those covered under TBCP’s equitable distribution process in recognition of the federal Indian trust responsibility and fiduciary obligation to Tribal governments. This process, also laid out in statute and in NTIA’s first TBCP NOFO, is intended to ensure that program funding is available to all eligible, federally recognized, Tribal governments who had a qualifying application.
Additional examples of the required Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Tribal Consultations and selected TBCP awards can be found in the previous “State Pages” section. The following section provides a selection of highlights from each Tribal Region and will be updated yearly. These highlights do not represent a comprehensive list of all awards and funding in each Tribal Region supported by NTIA. To learn about all awards and funding and to find the most up-to-date information, please visit the BroadbandUSA and Internet for All websites.
In 2023, OICG also announced the second TBCP NOFO, which will distribute the remaining approximately $980 million in available TBCP funding. Over the course of 2023, the TBCP team focused on preparing and supporting eligible Tribal entities for the second round of grant applications. The application window for the second NOFO ends in March 2024 and award announcements will begin later this year.
As a continued part of NTIA’s commitment to work towards closing the digital divide, NTIA, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2022 to coordinate responsibilities to deploy high-speed Internet service quickly and to safeguard Native lands and interests.25 Additionally, to help enable NTIA to meet its obligations under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) to engage in Tribal Consultation prior to the construction of broadband infrastructure, the FCC and NTIA entered into an agreement that provides NTIA access to the FCC’s Tower Construction Notification System (TCNS).26 Given the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) role in the permitting processes and as the executive branch’s intermediary with Tribal entities, NTIA and BIA meet regularly to ensure effective coordination. The FCC has also been an active partner in supporting Tribal participation in the National Broadband Map challenge processes and deduplication for TBCP awards. NTIA held a total of four Tribal Consultations in 2023. The consultations welcomed a cumulative 170 participants. In addition, NTIA held a total of 10 TBCP-specific webinars with a cumulative total of 365 registrants to help prospective applicants understand the grant program and prepare high-quality grant applications. Additional webinars will be offered to continue outreach efforts and provide support to prospective applicants for the second TBCP NOFO.
Tribal Regional Summaries
The 13 Tribal Regions below mirror the BIA Regions. Each region is assigned a TBCP Tribal Federal Program Officer (FPO) to act as a subject matter expert and liaison between NTIA and the Tribal Representatives.
25 Memorandum Of Understanding Among The U.S. Department Of The Interior And The Federal Communications Commission And The U.S. Department Of Commerce National Telecommunications And Information Administration.
26 See NTIA TCNS Outreach Dear Tribal Leader Letter, November 12, 2021. NTIA is using TCNS to identify tribes that might be interested in the broadband infrastructure projects that require review, inform interested Tribes of each proposed project, and consult with them regarding potential project effects. TCNS is the most current and accurate database available in the federal government for notifying federally recognized Indian Tribes of proposed construction of projects that may involve historic preservation.