Biden administration awards more than $1M to Suquamish Tribe for community high-speed internet
Jun 23, 2022, 3:55 PM
Photo from KIRO 7
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced Thursday that the Suquamish Tribe has been awarded a grant of more than $1M as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, according to a news release.
The grant, which totals $1,093,384.80, will fund projects that promote high-speed internet use and adoption. The funds can also be used to plan online education, telehealth, digital inclusion, and digital skills development.
The Suquamish Tribe plans to use the grant to “develop workforce training and digital literacy programs aimed at increasing digital inclusion among Tribal members,” according to the news release.
“The pandemic demonstrated just how difficult it is to participate in our modern economy without access to reliable high-speed internet,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “These grants will provide crucial resources to tribal communities working to ensure everyone can use the internet to attend classes, visit a doctor or run a business.”
The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program was funded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. The program makes $980 million available for grants to eligible Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian entities for broadband deployment, digital inclusion, workforce development, telehealth, and distance learning.
“Congratulations to the Suquamish Tribe on this important and transformative grant award,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “Our state has set an aggressive goal of universal access to high speed internet to every household by 2028, and because of the incredible work by local and Tribal partners, we’re seeing a lot of exciting new investments that get us closer to meeting that goal.”
