This report covers the current conditions of broadband access in Indian Country, the main federal programs aimed at improving broadband access, and findings, best practices, and policy recommendations to support tribal governments in building and maintaining necessary broadband infrastructure for their communities.

Why This Matters

Americans rely on internet access to connect them to work, school, health care, and other necessary services. But compared with the rest of the US, people living on tribal lands, and especially those living on tribal lands in rural areas, have substantially lower rates of access to reliable broadband. This “digital divide” stems from historical disinvestment and has implications for individuals and for Native communities and economies as a whole.

What We Found

Although federal broadband investments in Native communities have increased in recent years, many communities still have unmet needs. Securing federal funding can be complex and resource intensive, and broadband development projects are often costly and time consuming. Some Native communities face challenges meeting the administrative, financial, or technical requirements for accessing federal funding, building necessary infrastructure, and maintaining it in the long term. To better sustain broadband service and avoid unfavorable relationships with nontribal internet providers, many tribal governments, tribal internet providers, and other actors have advocated for tribal sovereignty over their broadband infrastructure.

Our interviews and quantitative findings point to clear strategies for tribal governments and tribal internet providers to secure federal funding, build infrastructure, and sustain reliable service:

• Prepare early and stay flexible when pursuing federal grants by engaging in technical assistance, forming partnerships, and designing applications that can be adapted across programs.
• Build strong business, operations, and maintenance plans at the start to ensure the long-term financial, technical, and statutory viability of the project.
• Invest in workforce development and strategic partnerships to expand technical capacity while protecting sovereignty.

They also highlight opportunities for other stakeholders, including the federal government, state governments, and philanthropic organizations, to support the expansion of broadband access in Native communities:

• Federal agencies can better meet Native communities’ needs by offering technical assistance throughout the application process, prioritizing tribal ownership of infrastructure, waiving matching funding requirements, and funding long-term maintenance in addition to construction.
• State and local governments can strengthen their role by providing technical assistance and alternative funding options to supplement federal opportunities.
• Philanthropic organizations can increase their support by investing in capacity building, training, and technical assistance and, when possible, providing funding for construction and operation.

How We Did It

We interviewed 15 individuals representing tribal broadband providers, tribal government leaders, state governments, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, and technical assistance providers. To supplement these qualitative findings, we conducted a quantitative analysis of recent broadband award data from USAspending.gov to understand obligated assistance spending from fiscal years 2020 through 2025.