Alaska Native villages, many of which are only accessible by boat or plane, have long grappled with unreliable and expensive internet service. In Rampart, a village of approximately 50 people, the only means of communication during internet service outages was to wait for the daily supply plane to arrive. The pilot would deliver messages, including notifications of medical emergencies, by flying 100 miles to Fairbanks. Despite incurring a monthly fee of $3,000, the village eventually upgraded to a satellite company to address this issue.
Unfortunately, this difficulty in accessing consistent and affordable internet is not unique to Rampart. It is a common problem faced by many remote communities throughout Alaska, severely limiting their ability to communicate with the outside world. Thus, in response to this digital divide, the Biden administration’s Internet for All initiative has provided funding to address inequities, including in Alaska Native villages, through programs such as the 2021 infrastructure bill.
The recently passed bill allocates $65 billion in funding to improve broadband access across the United States. As part of this initiative, every federally recognized tribe, including the 229 in Alaska, can receive up to $500,000 in funding.
On her way to Japan, Jill Biden visited the community of Bethel in southwest Alaska to showcase the progress being made under the program. Last year, $125 million was awarded for two broadband infrastructure projects in the area. This was the first visit by a first lady to Bethel, which is only accessible by air and is located about 400 miles (644 kilometers) west of Anchorage.
During her visit, Biden emphasized the benefits of high-speed internet, including improved access to healthcare, education, and remote job opportunities. She was joined by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Alaska Democrat U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, and Alaska first lady Rose Dunleavy. Dunleavy expressed her belief that the broadband investments in the Bethel area will help create jobs and bridge the digital divide, stating that rural Alaska has historically been on the wrong side of this divide.
On Wednesday, an additional $5 million in grants was awarded to several tribes across the United States under the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. The grants include $500,000 to the Hoonah Indian Association in Alaska to train people for jobs created by the tourism industry, and nine other grants of $500,000 each to three tribes in California, among others.
There were over $5.8 billion in funding requests by three-quarters of the country’s 574 federally recognized tribes when the program launched, but it is currently funded at just under $3 billion. Nearly $1.8 billion has been awarded to 157 tribal entities so far to improve broadband access. However, some tribal officials feel that there should be more flexibility in government funding to provide immediate, affordable broadband while tribal communities wait for fiber broadband, which can take years to implement and is often too expensive for families living below the poverty line.