The Osage Nation is receiving a $40.6 million federal grant from the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, to be used to build infrastructure where high-speed internet is lacking within the Osage Nation.
On Aug. 16, the Nation announced receipt of the grant award and said the ON Information Technologies Department worked collaboratively with the ON Grants Management and Budget Department for more than a year to develop the grant proposal.
“This award is a game changer for our broadband efforts,” Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear said in a statement. “I want to give credit where credit is due and that’s with the hard work and dedication by the Osage Nation Information Technologies and Grants Department. Their efforts will greatly benefit Osages and Osage community members for many years to come.”
According to BroadbandUSA, which is housed with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, “the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is a $980 million program directed to tribal governments to be used for broadband deployment on tribal lands, as well as for telehealth, distance learning, broadband affordability, and digital inclusion.”
The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is announcing additional awards on a rolling basis as they go through NTIA’s review process, which recently included the Osage Nation’s application. The NTIA is still reviewing 280-plus applications received during the application window, which closed Sept. 1, 2021.
The Nation plans to use the broadband grant funds “to provide a fiber buildout of twelve key areas within the Osage Nation service area, covering the majority of areas where there are unserved or underserved Osages and other Federally Recognized Native Americans,” according to a news release. “In addition to broadband development, the Nation is strategically planning for the economic growth this award will bring through job creation and other potential revenue-generating businesses.”
“We are very excited about the economic aspects of this major broadband grant,” said ON Secretary of Administration James Weigant. “Not only will we create jobs on the front end with construction, we envision more jobs coming as this broadband project evolves into a major internet provider. While jobs are a big factor, providing industry-leading broadband speeds within the Osage Nation service area could serve as an even bigger economic driver, allowing people to work and learn from home when a lack of high-speed internet might have prevented that before.”
