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Mapping Digital Sovereignty Across Indian Country As Tribal Broadband Soars
In honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, ILSR celebrates the growing number of Tribal nations exercising digital sovereignty by building Tribally-owned broadband networks.
Our freshly updated Indigenous Networks map and census highlights the burgeoning Tribal broadband movement, offering a window into this critical work across Indian Country.
Our updates underscore how much has changed since 2020 when ILSR first undertook research on Tribal networks. When we began tracking the development of Tribal broadband, of the 574 federally-recognized Tribes in the nation, there were about 40 Tribal networks offering service.
Four years later, there are now twice as many active networks in operation with 50 more Tribes who have secured funding to build their own networks, thanks in part to unprecedented federal investments in Tribal broadband. An additional four dozen Tribes have expressed interest in following suit, determined to close the digital divide in what has historically been the least connected part of the United States.
Many Tribal broadband networks that we previously identified have continued to thrive. Others have been able to upgrade their services to offer fiber service, the gold standard of Internet connectivity.
Meanwhile, a steady stream of new Tribal broadband programs have launched, with networks coming online each year and many others on the horizon, signaling a period of tremendous growth in Tribal broadband.
Our Indigenous Networks page features a revamped map as well as short profiles of each network describing its key features and history. These resources highlight the geographic breadth of the movement and the diversity of approaches that Tribal nations are taking to close the connectivity gap in their communities.
This census recognizes the enormous work being done across Indian Country to advance Tribal digital self-determination. We encourage readers to browse the unique stories of each Tribal broadband network. Below are a few key themes that can be seen by compiling information on nearly 200 Tribal broadband projects.
Field is Growing
There were approximately 48 active Tribal Internet networks established before 2020, including 37 that appeared to offer services to individual households. (Though established earlier, some of these networks might have only completed builds and offered services after 2020). Since 2020, 31 new Tribal broadband networks have come online, with 26 of those offering services to individual households.
We categorize 50 networks as “expected,” as these networks have received grant funding but do not yet appear to offer subscriptions. In many cases, construction has already started. In all but one of these cases, plans for building a network got underway in the last four years.
Federal and State Policy Wins Helped Fuel Growth
For many years, Tribal broadband champions have advocated at the federal and state levels for policies that recognize Tribal sovereignty and facilitate Tribally-owned network development, including spectrum sovereignty and increased funding for Tribes. We are witnessing significant changes in state and federal approaches to Tribal broadband development, in no small part due to the advocacy of Tribal leaders.
In 2019, the Federal Communications Commission opened a Rural Tribal Priority Window for licenses of the 2.5 GHz spectrum over Tribal lands. Nearly 400 Tribes applied.
Access to spectrum licenses have been crucial as Tribal nations work to establish or expand wireless networks. Most of the 43 Tribal nations that have deployed wireless networks – and more than two dozen others who are building or looking to build networks – hold 2.5 Ghz licenses.
Many of the new networks have been able to leverage federal or state funding to advance their plans, whether from the $3 billion Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, the millions of dollars available through the USDA ReConnect Program, or state-run programs like the $2 billion California Federal Funding Account grant program.
While it is costly to construct broadband networks in rural or remote locations, these grant funds have provided crucial start-up capital to launch numerous Tribal broadband projects over the last few years.
Fiber-to-the-Home Increasingly Common
As more Tribally-owned broadband networks come online, each Tribe is taking on this monumental task in line with its own specific circumstances - its own vision, assets, and interests. But, increasingly, Tribal nations are looking to bring fiber connectivity to their communities.
There are 32 Tribes now offering fiber service to subscribers, including 17 that are currently undertaking significant upgrades or network expansions. Of the established fiber networks, more than a dozen were offering wireless or DSL service over copper lines before grants, loans, or Tribal investment allowed them to upgrade their networks.
There are also 13 active networks that will soon join this list, as they work to transition wireless networks to fiber.
Over the next few years, half of the 50 “expected” networks are likely to launch fiber service over at least part of their service territory, expanding the number of Tribal fiber networks even further.
Unlike the first generation of Tribal fiber networks, most of these newer networks will offer fiber service from the beginning, thanks in part to the availability of more federal and state broadband funding.
This research builds on previous work performed by H. Trostle with the support of the Internet Society. Please alert us to any errors or omissions.