TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona is among five Arizona tribal entities set to receive a new round of federal grant funding, part of a $500,000 package the Biden-Harris Administration has pledged before the end of August.
All told, more than 33,000 Arizona homes on tribal lands will gain access to high speed internet with this latest funding announcement, which totals $105,846,128 in 'Internet for All' grant money for:
- Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona
- Hopi Telecommunications, Inc.
- Navajo Tribal Utility Authority
- San Carlos Apache Tribal Council/Triplet Mountain Communications, Inc.
- White Mountain Apache Tribe
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe will receivie $6,862,445 to install fiber and fixed wireless to directly connect 1,3072 unserved households.
Pascua Yaqui Tribal Chairman Peter Yucupicio says funds will also help provide telecom service to 69 government buildings and nine business, and connect the Tribe's data center to new developments and outlying areas via fiber optic cable.
"This important Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program Award will empower the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to carry out critical capital projects that directly support work, education, and health monitoring on the Reservation utilizing remote options in response to the Coronavirus public health emergency," said Yucupicio.
"This funding also will improve the quality of life, spur economic development activity, and create opportunities for remote employment by expanding broadband access to Tribal members in the various Pascua Yaqui communities.”
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 awards announced today were part of nearly $1 billion made available in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.
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Anne Simmons is the digital executive producer for KGUN 9. Anne got her start in television while still a student at the University of Arizona. Before joining KGUN, she managed multiple public access television stations in the Bay Area and has worked as a video producer in the non-profit sector. Share your story ideas and important issues with Anne by emailing anne.simmons@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.
