[1st-mile-nm] The State of Internet Service on Tribal Lands

[Richard Lowenberg]

Tribal Technology Assessment: The State of Internet Service on Tribal 
Lands

Log on to download the .pdf, an update of a 2009 study/paper.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3427547

Posted: 2 Aug 2019 Last revised: 16 Aug 2019

Brian Howard and Traci Morris
American Indian Policy Institute, Arizona State University

Date Written: July 27, 2019

Abstract
Access to high-speed Internet service has become an essential component 
to the nation’s economy, education, and healthcare. However, federal 
data continues to show tribal lands are the least connected areas of the 
country. AIPI launched a survey to collect information from residents of 
tribal reservations to determine what levels of Internet access they had 
and what types of devices they using to access it. The study also 
identified potential barriers to access, such as the lack of 
availability or its unaffordability for residents to purchase.

Our survey found that residents on tribal lands are predominantly using 
smart phones to access the internet, while many are also accessing it 
through public Wi-Fi or at a friend/relative’s house. However, the data 
should not be interpreted or used to defend “mobile only” as the 
singular solution to providing internet service. In this study 50% of 
respondents stated that their internet use was limited because they did 
not have enough data in their cell phone plan. Further research is 
needed to ascertain if there are specific limitations of mobile use in 
certain situations, such as the reliability or preference of using 
mobile over hardline connections for certain activities.



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Richard Lowenberg, Executive Director
1st-Mile Institute     505-603-5200
Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504,
rl at 1st-mile.org     www.1st-mile.org
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