The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has announced that nearly $1 billion in funding will be used to expand Internet access and adoption on Tribal Lands.

Part of President Biden's 'Investing in America' agenda, the funding is the final allocation of the $3 billion allocated by the Biden Administration to the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP).

In total, approximately $980 million has been made available for Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities for the deployment of Internet infrastructure on Tribal Lands.

“These investments will provide new opportunities for Tribal communities to participate in telehealth, online education, remote work, and countless other benefits that Internet access can bring,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said.

“Through President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, we are providing the resources necessary to deploy high-quality, high-speed Internet service across Tribal Lands.”

To date, TBCP has already awarded $1.78 billion to 191 Tribal entities since the program began in 2021.

The application deadline for the latest round of funding is January 23, 2024.

In a statement, the NTIA said it expects to make awards in this round of funding within the following ranges:

• High-speed Internet infrastructure deployment projects proposed by a single applicant: $1 million to $50 million
• High-speed Internet adoption and use projects: $100,000 to $2.5 million

This funding appears to be separate from the $42.5 billion that Biden pledged to boost broadband across the US.

The investment, which will be divided by the nation's 50 states and five overseas territories, is part of Biden's goal to deliver universal broadband to all Americans by 2030.

This funding is part of the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, with funding authorized by the $1.2 trillion 2021 Infrastructure Law.

Texas and California have been allocated the most funding at $3.1bn and $1.9bn respectively.