On June 3, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced the availability of nearly $1 billion in National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) grants to expand broadband access and adoption on Tribal lands. "Indigenous communities have shaped our nation throughout our history," said Vice President Harris. "And yet, we know that disparities—deep disparities—persist in Tribal communities." The Vice President noted that one in three Americans who live in rural areas and on Tribal lands lack access to high-speed internet.
What are Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program Grants for?
The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program provides new federal funding for grants to eligible entities to expand access to and adoption of: (i) broadband service on Tribal Lands; or (ii) programs that promote the use of broadband to access remote learning, telework, or telehealth resources during the COVID–19 pandemic.(1) Grant funds available under this program may be used for:
- Broadband infrastructure deployment projects, including support for the establishment of carrier-neutral submarine cable landing stations, middle-mile and last-mile networks, and interconnection. Projects may deploy new broadband infrastructure, replace antiquated infrastructure, or upgrade or extend existing infrastructure. Priority will be given for networks that will serve currently unserved households.
- Projects that promote the adoption and use of broadband services, including:
- affordable broadband programs, such as providing free or reduced-cost broadband service and preventing disconnection of existing broadband service;
- distance learning;
- telehealth;
- digital inclusion efforts; and
- broadband adoption activities.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will facilitate more work to improve broadband service on Tribal lands. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 established a $1 billion grant program at U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration to support broadband connectivity on tribal lands throughout the country. The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program provides grants to expand access to and adoption of broadband service on Tribal Lands or programs that promote the use of broadband to access remote learning, telework, or telehealth. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act offers enhancements to the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program so it can better aid in the delivery of broadband to some of the areas with the worst connectivity in the country.
How Does the New Law Impact the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act extends the timeline on the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program so that it is more than a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing grantees more time to deploy broadband networks and help more people get online. Specifically, grantees now have 18 months (instead of 6 months) to commit funds to an approved project—and they now have 4 years instead of one to expend all their grant funding. NTIA may also extend the four-year deadline for a grantee that can demonstrate the need for more time.
The amendments also reserve all federal funds allocated to the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. Unused funds will now be made available to other Tribal broadband projects rather than reverting back to the U.S. Treasury.
Last year, Congress restricted awardees from using more than two percent of their awards for administrative purposes. That's still true after the new revisions, but Congress now allows grantees working on broadband infrastructure construction to use up to 2.5 percent of the total project cost for planning, feasibility, and sustainability studies.
Not to bury the lede, but the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act also adds $2 billion to the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. With the new funding, NTIA is allowed to fully fund any grants that did not receive full funding in its first round of awards. NTIA will also likely have subsequent rounds of grants.
In June 2021, the NTIA issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity with detailed information about the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. For a summary of what grants can be used for, who is eligible for funding, and how the NTIA evaluates grant applications, see the Benton Institute's summary, $1 Billion for Broadband Infrastructure on Tribal Lands.
NTIA expects to complete its review, selection of successful applicants, and first-round award processing by November 29, 2021. NTIA expects the earliest start date for awards to be December 13, 2021.
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