NTIA Extends Tribal Broadband Grant Deadlines Following Chickasaw Nation Visit
The agency announced a 60-day extension to align with BEAD and other funding.
WASHINGTON, July 29, 2026 – The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is giving Tribal broadband applicants two more months to submit proposals.
NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth announced Tuesday the agency will push back the application deadline for the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program and its Native Entities Grant Program by 60 days, from Sept. 17, 2026, to Nov. 17, 2026.
Roth made the announcement during a visit to the Chickasaw Nation near Ada, Oklahoma, which included stops at a fixed wireless tower serving Tribal residents and a look at the drilling equipment used for fiber deployment.
The two also discussed the Nation’s use of satellite connectivity, including through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.
Roth framed the extension as a way to help applicants coordinate across NTIA’s overlapping funding streams.
“Eligible applicants, particularly those in approved BEAD states like Oklahoma, now have additional time to submit strong proposals, align their participation across NTIA programs, and stretch every dollar as far as possible,” she said in a statement.
The Chickasaw Nation is itself a repeat TBCP recipient.
Under an earlier award, the Nation’s project called for building roughly 2,832 miles of middle- and last-mile aerial fiber to reach more than 1,372 unserved Native American households, over 224 unserved Tribal businesses and 16 community anchor institutions, plus retrofitting dozens of existing towers with fixed wireless radio equipment to serve more than 1,421 additional households households at speeds ranging from 25/3 Megabits per second (Mbps) to 100/10 Mbps.
Roth was joined by House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, who called the visit a chance to see his Nation’s own broadband push up close, saying he was proud to watch the Tribe deliver connectivity to unserved areas “in the most effective and efficient way.”
A program already under revision
The deadline extension lands amid a broader overhaul of NTIA’s Tribal broadband portfolio.
In November 2025, the agency announced it was restructuring TBCP and the native entity set-aside from the Digital Equity Act to reduce administrative burdens, prevent duplication, and ensure consistency across broadband initiatives, with Roth saying the goal was to stretch funding as far as possible.
The agency said no more awards would be made under current rules, and that previously announced awards would not be rescinded.
The Commerce Department is currently soliciting applications for $790 million in Tribal broadband funding under new rules.
Of that, $540 million will come from the agency’s Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program and $250 million will come from Digital Equity Act funding that was set aside for Tribal entities.
That reform process has included direct outreach to Tribal leaders: NTIA held Tribal Consultations in mid-January 2026 to gather input before opening the next funding round.
Tribes have reported difficulties going through another application round, but many have continued to participate saying no alternative Tribal broadband funding is on the horizon.
