September 13, 20, 27 | Virtual Summit

Call for Presentations

Register for the Tribal Broadband Summit(link is external)

This September, the Department of the Interior (DOI), in collaboration with federal agency partners, will convene Tribal broadband industry experts to discuss how to make the best use of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), Federal Broadband Connectivity Grant funds for Tribes, and how to plan for the future of wireless networks and digital economies on Tribal Lands.

This Summit will provide a platform for leaders across the broadband deployment ecosystem to share best practices, new ideas, and lessons learned from their real-world experience bringing broadband service to Tribal Lands.

This year’s event will focus on:

• Building Broadband Networks. Planning and implementing network construction and expansions and multi-jurisdictional projects. Workshops and technical assistance on federal grant applications, including the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, and other land use issues including rights-of-way applications, the NEPA process, and more.
• Digital Equity. Implementing the Broadband Equity, Access, & Deployment (BEAD) Program, mapping broadband access and affordability, providing affordable services. Ensuring individuals have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy.
• Partnering for Long Term Success. Working with Tribes, states, federal programs, private industry and local communities. Identifying needs, setting goals, creating strategies, developing a plan and leveraging data to maximize the short and long-term educational, cultural and economic benefits of connectivity. Developing a local Tribal workforce to maintain and operate networks, capacity building for Tribes and Tribal organizations, and achieving financial stability.
• Broadband Use and Adoption. Leveraging technology to improve health care outcomes via telehealth services, enhancing economic development, increasing community engagement, and expanding educational opportunity. Implementing telehealth, distance learning, adoption, and workforce development projects, including equipment distribution and maintenance, curriculum development, and training methodologies.

Broadband and wireless access on Tribal Lands is complicated by landownership questions, the need for federal appraisals, rights-of-way permits, obtaining environmental impact assessments, and further understanding the unique jurisdictional complexities on Tribal Lands and the federal trust responsibility.

The annual National Tribal Broadband Summit is part of the Biden-Harris administration’s ongoing efforts to close the digital divide and builds on an all-of-government approach to uplift Tribal sovereignty in the digital arena to ensure Tribal lands are fully connected. The Summit aims to collaborate with federal partners, Tribal nations, and organizations to make broadband development on Tribal lands less burdensome and share information to provide an overview of the other critical components to achieving full broadband access and adoption on Tribal Lands: new technologies and innovative partnership solutions to fully support tribal self-governance.

Register for the Tribal Broadband Summit(link is external)