For Immediate Release

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Biden-Harris Administration Awards More Than $35.2 Million to Expand High-Speed

Internet Access on Tribal Lands in Nebraska

With Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, $600+ Million Awarded to 23 Tribal

Entities in Latest Round of “Internet for All” Grants

Winnebago, NE – The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and

Information Administration (NTIA) announced $35,252,376.44 in a grant awarded from the

Internet for All initiative to the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. NTIA officials announced the

grant at an event at the Ho-Chunk Village, Winnebago Statue Garden alongside tribal leaders.

With funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the grant will expand high-speed internet

infrastructure deployment projects through the Internet for All Initiative’s Tribal Broadband

Connectivity Program. In all, the projects will connect over 600 homes with the high-speed

internet connectivity necessary for learning, work, and telehealth.

“We are making an historic investment in Tribal communities to ensure reliable, affordable highspeed Internet for all,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “These grants – made

possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - underscore President Biden’s commitment to

closing the digital divide in the United States, especially within Tribal lands. Today’s awards

will not only build high-speed Internet capacity within Tribal Nations, but also bring digital

opportunities for good-paying jobs, education, and healthcare.”

"We are thrilled to be a recipient of a TBCP award, which will result in access to quality internet

access throughout the Winnebago Tribe and level the playing field of opportunity for our Tribal

Nation and our tribal members. Throughout the pandemic we saw firsthand the importance of

internet access and how critical it is for our tribal member to participate in remote education,

telehealth, and economic development opportunities,” said Winnebago Tribe Chairwoman

Victoria Kitcheyan.

These awards are part of 23 new grants announced today totaling more than $601.6 million to

tribal entities. These awards are part of the Biden Administration’s commitment to nation-tonation engagement and an effort to connect everyone in America, including American Indians

and Natives, to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet.

Today’s awards bring the total of the program to $1.35 billion awarded to 94 Tribal entities. The

funds will be used to invest in high-speed Internet network deployment and digital skills training

to improve access to education, jobs, and healthcare on Tribal lands.

The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is a nearly $3 billion grant program and part of the

Biden-Harris Administration’s Internet for All Initiative. The funds are made available from the

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 ($980 million) and President Biden’s Bipartisan

Infrastructure Law ($2 billion). Additional grants will be announced on a rolling basis this fall.

In total, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes $65 billion to provide affordable, reliable,

high-speed Internet across the country.

A Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for $1 billion in funds from the Bipartisan

Infrastructure Law will be announced in the coming months. NTIA recently held three Tribal

Consultations with Tribal leaders to solicit their input on the NOFO.

Internet for All

President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes a historic $65 billion investment to

expand affordable and reliable high-speed Internet access in communities across the U.S. NTIA

recently launched a series of new high-speed Internet grant programs funded by the law that will

build high-speed Internet infrastructure across the country, create more low-cost high-speed

Internet service options, and address the digital equity and inclusion needs in our communities.

Additionally, the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program

(ACP) provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households

and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Visit getinternet.gov to learn

more.

For more information on the Biden-Harris Administration’s high-speed Internet programs as well

as quotes from the awardees, please visit InternetforAll.gov.

Press Contact

NTIA, Office of Public Affairs, (202) 482-7002, press@ntia.gov