NTIA Recommends $6.5M in Tribal Broadband Awards
Tribal consultations in January will help shape updates to the broadband program, NTIA says.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 23, 2025 – A narrow slice of federal funding for Tribal broadband is moving forward amid a broader program reset.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration on Tuesday recommended nearly $6.5 million in funding for nine Tribal broadband projects under its Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program.
The awards come as NTIA is in the midst of a broader overhaul of its $3 billion TBCP. After pausing most recommended grants under existing rules in November, NTIA said it would solicit input from Tribal governments and issue new guidance for a funding round planned for spring 2026.
As part of that effort, NTIA will hold Tribal consultations on January 13 and January 20, 2026.
“These consultations will provide an opportunity for Tribal representatives to engage directly with NTIA as it prepares to restructure its Tribal broadband programs, ensuring that future funding opportunities reflect Tribal priorities and perspectives,” the announcement states.
Projects span from Alaska to Massachusetts
The projects recommended on Friday span Alaska, California, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
The largest award, $2.5 million, will go to Dena’ Nena’ Henash, or “Our Land Speaks,” a Native nonprofit corporation in interior Alaska, to complete four fully engineered, environmentally permitted, and shovel-ready, fiber-to-the-home network designs.
Dena’ Nena’ Henash corporation represents the six subregions of the Dena’ Nena’ Henash with 36 tribes, covering some 235,000 square miles, a land mass nearly the size of Texas.
Another award in western Oklahoma will provide $496,003 for a hybrid fiber and wireless network to community anchor institutions serving the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes.
One of the awards specifically targets affordability: the Barona Group of the Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians will use $500,000 to expand access to low-cost internet for members of the Barona Indian community in southern California.
Several other recipients will use funding for broadband planning and engineering work intended to support future deployment efforts. Others include fiber network engineering, network operations center construction, and subsidies for customer premises equipment.
The recommendations come as hundreds of millions of dollars in Tribal broadband funding remain unobligated. As of November, roughly $980 million from the program’s second funding round had yet to be distributed, drawing scrutiny from lawmakers and Tribal advocates as NTIA prepares to launch a new funding round in 2026.
“NTIA remains committed to maximizing the impact of our Tribal funding by streamlining programs, reducing red tape, and empowering Tribes to pursue solutions that fit their needs,” said NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth.
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