The American Indian Policy Institute (AIPI) and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), based on a long-standing commitment to bridging the digital divide on tribal lands, founded and formed the Center for Tribal Digital Sovereignty at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.
Tribal Digital Sovereignty is the umbrella term that encompasses the exercise of sovereign authority over physical and virtual network infrastructure and the intangible, virtual digital jurisdictional aspects of the acquisition, storage, transmission, access, and use of data, including policy developments that impact a Tribal Nation's digital footprint in both real-world and virtual spaces. Tribal Digital Sovereignty encompasses all aspects of a Tribal Nation’s digital plan and footprint, such as Tribal codes, managing data protection, digital equity, network infrastructure, development of funding sources, education, healthcare, public safety and law enforcement, economic and community development, and capacity building.
National Congress of American Indians NC-24-008 Supporting Tribal Digital Sovereignty as an Exercise of Self-Determination
Mission
The Center for Tribal Digital Sovereignty provides research and scholarship, capacity building, and a coalition of expert community-serving organizations with long histories of working in this space, creating a gravitas of service as an open-source information resource and clearinghouse for Tribal nations on Tribal Digital Sovereignty planning.
About
The Center for Tribal Digital Sovereignty (CTDS) is the first and only center in the Nation dedicated to assisting Tribal governments, leadership, and communities in understanding the complexities of digital sovereignty, providing access to resources and serving as a clearinghouse for Tribal digital sovereignty.
The TDS Center has four goals:
Information
NC-24-007: Calling upon Congress to Support Both Short-term and Permanent Solutions for the Continuation of the Affordable Connectivity Program
NC-24-008: Supporting Tribal Digital Sovereignty as an Exercise of Self-Determination
Broadband is critical for Indian Country, but it is often unavailable. In 2019, the American Indian Policy Institute (AIPI) found that 18 percent of Tribal reservation residents have no Internet access, while 33 percent rely on smartphones for Internet service. Even where broadband is available, the cost can be a barrier to access. It is crucial that Tribal communities have broadband access for education, work, and healthcare, all of which will be more accessible via the Affordable Connectivity Program.
The Affordable Connectivity Program provided benefits for a single Internet connection per home and allowed eligible households to receive a monthly discount on broadband access from their Internet provider. The program is no longer accepting applications.
On May 2, 2024, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel again stressed the urgency of providing additional funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) before funding is officially exhausted by the end of May, and participating households can no longer receive any ACP benefit. The FCC had already announced that April would be the last month households could receive an applicable $30 discount, and in May some households could continue to receive an up-to-$14 discount if their provider opted into offering a partial discount during the final month of the program. Chairwoman Rosenworcel’s letter again highlighted that the end of the ACP would have broad consequences nationwide, and how its end could impact other broadband deployment efforts that the federal government has heavily invested in, like the Commerce Department’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.
Links to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s Letter to Congress as well as a recent FCC Press Release can be found below:
- Press Release: CHAIRWOMAN ROSENWORCEL ALERTS CONGRESS OF FINAL MONTH OF FUNDING FOR AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM
- Final Letter to Congress: Chairwoman Final Update to Congress on Affordable Connectivity Program | Federal Communications Commission (fcc.gov)
We continue to monitor several short and long term funding vehicles currently in front of Congress. The Commission stands ready to work with Congress to help prevent the over 23 million households enrolled nationwide from experiencing a lapse in their internet service coverage.
ACP Wind Down related resources that are available, to include Fact Sheets and Frequently Asked Questions, at: www.fcc.gov/acp.
Updated 05-02-2024:
Arizona Commerce Authority Broadband Resources
This page has information on grants, resources, and upcoming workshops
Grant Opportunities
Information on the Arizona Rural Broadband Deployment Grants, the Broadband Infrastructure Program, and other grant opportunities.
Arizona Department of Education Digital Divide White Paper
This details the inequities in broadband access for rural schoolchildren attempting distance learning.
Broadband Now
This website provides information on broadband availability across the U.S.
Tribes must exercise their sovereign right to access and utilize this natural resource. Spectrum frequencies are finite and as the internet and technology continues to permeate every life these frequencies will be obtained and held onto by industry because of its intrinsic value. The federal government, as trustee to Tribal Nations, must also understand and address the historical and present-day barriers that prevent tribal participation in spectrum auctions and the inability of tribes to access spectrum through secondary market mechanisms. Providing tribes with access to spectrum licenses provides an opportunity for tribes to construct their own wireless networks or leverage the license to attract service providers to bring telecommunications services to tribal lands for the benefit of their communities and economies.
Printable document on Spectrum Sovereignty and 2.5 GHz.
The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) is a $3 billion program, from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, to support Tribal governments bringing high-speed Internet to Tribal lands, including telehealth, distance learning, affordability, and digital inclusion initiatives. The program seeks to improve quality of life, spur economic development, and create opportunities for remote employment, online entrepreneurship, remote learning, and telehealth by expanding broadband access and by providing digital training and inclusion programs to Native American communities.
Interactive Map of Projects Funded by the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program
Learn more at Internet for All
On June 3, 2021, the NTIA announced the TBCP. The program is meant to provide grants to assist Tribes to build broadband infrastructure, promote digital inclusion and literacy, and also help to establish affordability programs. Please see our earlier work on the TBCP and our Tribal Technology Assessment for more information on the digital divide in Tribal communities.
Training Opportunties
Digital Inclusion Leadership Certificate: A 12-week online certificate designed to prepare participants for effective planning, implementation and evaluation of broadband and digital inclusion programs.
Research
NTIA ACCESS BROADBAND Report (Dec. 2021)
Native Nations Communications Task Force, Tribal Broadband Report (Nov. 2019)
U.S. Department of Interior, National Tribal Broadband Strategy (Jan. 2021)
U.S. Department of Interior, Expanding Broadband Access (2021)