MACY, Neb. — The Omaha Tribe of Nebraska and the Nebraska Indian Community College have been awarded almost $5 million in federal grants to expand tribal high-speed internet access, the Department of Commerce announced Tuesday.
The grants are part of the nearly $3 billion Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, and are intended to fund high-speed internet infrastructure deployment, use, and adoption projects to improve connectivity across tribal lands, according to a press release.
The Nebraska Indian Community College is receiving $1.243 million for a project to install fiber directly connecting 1,272 Native American households; the Omaha Tribe is receiving $3.753 million to install fiber to 19 community anchor institutions and to deploy a wireless network to connect 710 households and 12 business with fixed wireless internet, and to construct a data server building for IT equipment, according to the press release.
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The Omaha Reservation lies mostly in Thurston County, Nebraska, and extends partly into neighboring counties. The Nebraska Indian Community College operates from campuses in Macy, South Sioux City and Santee, Nebraska, and is affiliated with the Omaha and Santee Sioux tribes.
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration has awarded 60 grants, totaling more than $457 million, through the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program.
Internet access is often lacking on reservations in the United States. According to the American Indian Policy Institute, about 18 percent of reservation residents had no internet access as of 2019, and 33 percent relied on smartphones for internet access.
The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is funded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program makes grants available to Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian entities for high-speed internet deployment, digital inclusion, workforce development, telehealth and distance learning.
