Office of Economic Policy | Lummi Broadband Updates

LUMMI NATION BROADBAND PROGRESS: 1ST QUARTER 2024

We are pleased to provide an update on the progress of broadband initiatives within the Lummi Nation community during the first quarter of 2024.

The Lummi Nation remains committed to bridging the digital divide and ensuring equitable access to high-speed internet for all tribal members. In pursuit of this goal, significant strides have been made over the past quarter.

Lummi Nation Broadband Project - 1st Quarter - 2024

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(2024) Broadband Team

NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION (NTIA)

CALLS PRESS CONFERENCE - JULY 27, 2023

NTIA Conference

On Thursday, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) held a Press Conference to provide an important announcement about NTIA’s Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP), held at wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House –University of Washington. The TBCP provides funding to tribal governments for broadband deployment on tribal lands, including for telehealth, distance learning, broadband affordability, and digital inclusion. Federal government officials from NTIA and the White House were in attendance, along with invited guests from the Lummi Indian Business Council, Tony Hillaire, LIBC Chairman and Teresa Taylor, Project Manager, Office of Economic Policy.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for NTIA’sTribal Broadband Connectivity Program, the second round of funding, announced the availability of nearly $1 billion available for eligible Tribal applicants to expand Internet access and adoption on Tribal Lands. This additional funding, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and his economic plan – Bidenomics – to grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out and lower costs for more families.

“These investments will provide new opportunities for Tribal communities to participate in telehealth, online education, remote work and countless other benefits that Internet access can bring,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said. “Through President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, we are providing the resources necessary to deploy high-quality, high-speed Internet service across Tribal Lands.”

'The digital divide has disproportionately impacted people in Tribal communities for years,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Alan Davidson. “But thanks to our Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, that’s finally starting to change. This latest round of funding will provide Indian Country with affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service.”

TBCP has already awarded the Lummi Indian Business Council $15,942,129 to build fiber-to-the-home on the Lummi Indian Reservation.