Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Expand Universal Service Fund Coverage in Indian Country

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2025 — Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., introduced a bill Tuesday to strengthen federal broadband support in Indian Country by revising the nation’s universal service statute to explicitly include Tribal communities.

The Tribal Internet Expansion Act of 2025 would amend the Communications Act of 1934 to add areas with high populations of Native residents to the federal universal service principles that guide broadband support in “rural, insular and high-cost” regions. Federal data shows that about one in four people on Tribal lands still lack access to reliable high-speed internet.

Schiff said Tribal communities needed reliable, accessible and affordable service to fully participate in the “technologies so vital to economic growth and success.” Ruiz said the bill would strengthen the Universal Service Fund, which supports high-cost networks and low-income households, to ensure Indian Country is better served.

Tribal leaders expressed broad support for the proposal. Charles Martin, chairman of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, said inadequate broadband continued to limit education, economic activity and access to healthcare across Tribal communities. He said the proposal offered a needed correction to federal programs that have not fully reached Tribal lands even with recent federal funding efforts.

Larry Wright Jr., executive director of the National Congress of American Indians, said the national “digital divide,” coined in 1995, remains in addition to a distinct Tribal divide in 2025 that federal programs have not permanently resolved. He said targeted Universal Service Fund investments during the COVID-19 pandemic gave Tribal households reliable connectivity for remote learning, telehealth and public safety, demonstrating the importance of maintaining and updating federal support mechanisms.

Francys Crevier, CEO of the National Council of Urban Indian Health, said expanded broadband would enhance health outcomes for Native patients through access to telemedicine and digital care tools.

Supporters said the bill provides a necessary statutory foundation for long-term work on affordability, infrastructure and digital adoption across Tribal lands.