- NTIA to Reform Tribal Program
- Broadband Permitting Legislation Advances
- Expanding Connectivity to Support Farmers
- Oklahoma Kicks Off Fiber Project
- Partnership to Build AI Skills in Georgia
NTIA TO REFORM TRIBAL PROGRAM
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced it is working on reforms that will change the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP).
The reforms across tribal broadband programs are intended to reduce red tape and improve flexibility, according to an announcement last week from NTIA. This includes the TBCP and the native entity set-aside from the now-cancelled Digital Equity Act (DEA); that set-aside was the only DEA grant not cancelled, per a report from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
NTIA will continue awarding equitable distribution grants, but infrastructure use and adoption grants will be awarded under new rules established under the Trump administration. NTIA will launch a new Notice of Funding Opportunity in the spring to make remaining tribal broadband funding available.
In addition, NTIA will soon announce a formal tribal consultation to create a pathway through which tribal governments can provide input about the next round of funding.
“NTIA’s goal is simple: stretch every dollar as far as possible to achieve universal Tribal connectivity and better serve Tribal communities’ needs,” Assistant Secretary of Commerce and NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth said in a statement.
The TBCP is a nearly $3 billion grant program that was established in 2021, funded through $980 million from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and $2 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
In separate but related news, federal lawmakers introduced the Tribal Internet Expansion Act of 2025 this week, which aims to expand telecommunications and information services to tribal communities.
Specifically, the legislation would update the Communications Act of 1934 to include Indian Country as a way to formalize tribal lands, and tribal leaders and organizations have expressed support for the legislation.
“This is a critical part of closing the digital divide in Indian Country — which is a barrier to education, economic opportunity, and healthcare services — that has persisted despite significant investment by Congress in recent years,” Charles Martin, chairman of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, said in a statement.
BROADBAND PERMITTING LEGISLATION ADVANCES
In other federal news, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology passed broadband permitting legislation this week.
The subcommittee led a markup of several broadband permitting bills on Tuesday. H.R. 1343, the Federal Broadband Deployment Tracking Act, was forwarded without amendment to the full committee, as were H.R. 1588, the Facilitating DIGITAL Applications Act; H.R. 1665, the DIGITAL Applications Act; H.R. 1681, the Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act; and H.R. 1731, the Standard FEES Act.
H.R. 6046, the Broadband and Telecommunications RAIL Act, and H.R. 2289, the Proportional Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act, were both forwarded as amended to the full committee.
“The legislation passed by the Subcommittee today would codify prior bipartisan actions and strengthen the rules of the road to create the certainty industry needs today to build the networks of tomorrow,” Wireless Infrastructure Association President and CEO Patrick Halley said in a statement.
EXPANDING CONNECTIVITY TO SUPPORT FARMERS
Officials have launched a wireless network in Yuma County, Ariz. The AgTech Wireless Tower Network will support the county’s agriculture industry; nearly 190,000 acres in the county are under cultivation, meaning they are used for agriculture production.
eX², a company that specializes in fiber-optic network solutions, is developing a network of towers across almost 160,000 acres of farmland in the area. The infrastructure is intended to support farmers with wireless services that enable them to use agriculture technology like AI-powered machinery, IoT sensors, drones, GIS mapping, irrigation automation and autonomous farm vehicles.
“We are connecting to the future of farming,” Jonathan W. Lines, Yuma County supervisor, said in a statement.
The project is being funded through State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds under the American Rescue Plan Act.
OKLAHOMA KICKS OFF FIBER PROJECT
In other rural news, the state of Oklahoma has launched a $1.5 million broadband expansion project that is expected to deliver high-speed fiber Internet access to 108 homes and businesses in Wagoner County, a rural, eastern county.
The Oklahoma Broadband Office and Lake Region Technology and Communications partnered on the project, which is funded by $756,000 in federal broadband grants matched dollar-for-dollar by LRTC.
“This expansion is about giving opportunity to families, farmers, and small businesses in Wagoner County,” Oklahoma Broadband Office Executive Director Mike Sanders said in a statement.
This project is one of more than 180 high-speed Internet projects that are currently underway in the state. At least one project is slated to take place in 59 of the 77 counties in the state.
PARTNERSHIP TO BUILD AI SKILLS IN GEORGIA
Georgia State University (GSU) has received funding from Google to establish The AI Innovation Lab, an initiative that aims to expand AI education access for students in the community.
GSU will be implementing an after-school AI and machine learning education program that recruits high school students in metro Atlanta public schools. GSU’s students will serve as instructors and mentors in the program. The collaboration aims to illustrate the university’s commitment to ensuring students from various backgrounds can participate in the tech economy.
The rise of AI is driving demand for tech skills, and experts argue that AI literacy must be incorporated into digital skills training, or digital inequities may increase.
