Pawhuska, Okla. — Local, tribal and national leaders gathered in Pawhuska on March 4 to break ground on a project that will bring high-speed internet to the Osage Nation community.
The $40.6 million project is funded by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program.
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
“This will improve our community on many different levels, including education, social connections, health services and working with communities in our community and around the world,” said Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear.
It’s part of the Biden-Harris administration’s “Internet for All” plan to ensure everyone in the United States has access to reliable, high-speed internet.
“We have broken ground on a project that will install fiber optic cables and build wireless towers to directly connect more than 3,000 unserved areas,” said Alan Davidson, assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information. of Osage families.” “This $40 million project will expand access to education and health care, support smart technology in agriculture, and create construction and broadband jobs.”
Crews will install more than 200 miles of high-speed fiber optic cabling and 16 fixed Wi-Fi towers throughout Osage County.
Providing internet to all Oklahomans is not unique to the Osage Nation. Tribes like the Cherokee Nation also assist with similar projects on their reservations.
Cherokee Nation’s $80M Broadband and Cellphone Service Investment
“High-speed internet is like water,” said Tom Perez, a senior adviser to President Biden. “This is a critical public necessity that needs to be affordable and accessible to everyone. That’s why the Biden-Harris Administration is investing $90 billion to ensure communities across the country, especially those that often fall behind The opportunities that rural areas and tribal nations, such as the Osage Nation, have the ability to connect to reliable internet provide.”
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