[1st-mile-nm] Bridging the Tribal Digital Divide Act of 2020

[Richard Lowenberg]

Udall, Cantwell, Heinrich Introduce Bill to Increase Tribal Broadband 
Access

https://www.tomudall.senate.gov/news/press-releases/udall-cantwell-heinrich-introduce-bill-to-increase-tribal-broadband-access

FEBRUARY 14, 2020

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), vice chairman of the 
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, along with U.S. Senators Maria 
Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced the Bridging 
the Tribal Digital Divide Act of 2020 to accelerate the deployment of 
broadband services to Native communities and bridge the digital divide 
facing Native communities. The bill would expedite the deployment of 
affordable broadband service on Tribal lands by coordinating and 
improving the effectiveness of federal resources.

According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), less than half 
of households on Tribal lands have access to fixed broadband service. 
This represents a nearly 27-point gap compared to non-Tribal rural 
areas. This gap only widens when compared to the country-wide average. 
In 2018, the FCC estimated that 35 percent of Americans living on Tribal 
lands lacked access to broadband services, compared to eight percent of 
all Americans.

“Reliable Internet access is fundamental to economic success in the 
twenty-first century,” Udall said. “It is unacceptable that Americans 
living on Tribal lands, in addition to Tribal governments, face so many 
barriers to accessing reliable broadband. Our legislation focuses on 
connecting Tribal communities with broadband funding and eliminating 
bureaucratic hurdles so that we can bridge this Tribal digital divide. 
This is fundamental to the effort to ensure that the federal government 
is upholding its trust and treaty responsibility to Native communities.”

“In our 21st century economy, a reliable internet connection is a must. 
Closing the digital divide in Indian Country is critically important for 
the future of these communities – less than half of which currently have 
access to reliable broadband service. I am proud to be introducing a 
plan today to start addressing this shortfall immediately,” said 
Cantwell.

“Access to high-speed internet is increasingly essential to daily life 
and brings unprecedented economic opportunities for users, especially 
for people living in rural areas,” said Heinrich. “Unfortunately, too 
many Tribal communities in New Mexico lack access to broadband internet, 
which means less access to educational, health, and career-related 
resources. Connecting more Tribes will strengthen broadband across rural 
New Mexico and improve education, boost the economy, and increase public 
safety and civic engagement.”

The Bridging the Tribal Digital Divide Act of 2020 will:

- Establish the Tribal Broadband Interagency Working Group to improve 
coordination across federal broadband programs and reduce deployment 
barriers;
- Require that technical assistance be provided to interested, 
underserved Native communities to develop a broadband deployment plan;
- Streamline the application process for federal grants to support the 
deployment of broadband services on Tribal lands;
- Establish a Tribal Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee;
- Sets aside FCC and USDA funds for the benefit of broadband deployment 
on Tribal lands; and
- Establish the Tribal Broadband Right-of-Way Pilot Program.

The full text of the legislation can be found HERE.
https://www.tomudall.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Tribal%20Broadband.pdf

Last September, Udall convened an oversight hearing on Tribal access to 
broadband, where he challenged the FCC on its finding that advanced 
telecommunications capability is being deployed to all Americans – 
including those living on Tribal lands – in a “reasonable and timely 
fashion.”


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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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