UPPER LAKE, Calif. — Households on the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Rancheria facing barriers to internet access will soon have access to high-quality, high-speed broadband services thanks to a $500,000 federal grant.
The tribe will also use the funding to connect nontribal households to the internet with access extending to anyone in the service area.
The half million dollar grant was awarded to the tribal community through the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA, Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program.
The Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Tribe was one of only nine tribes to receive the funding.
“The Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake is pleased to receive much needed funding for broadband services on our reservation,” said tribal Chairwoman Sherry Treppa. “Access to high-speed Internet is a critical component in our modern society to access education, health care, and employment opportunities. The tribe is appreciative of NTIA's efforts to include the needs of smaller tribes, as it is much harder to get corporate third parties to invest funding into infrastructure for smaller, remote populations, making the need for this type of funding much greater for smaller tribes.”
The Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake will use the $500,000 grant to not only provide a wireless network connecting numerous tribal households, but also provide access to nontribal households currently facing barriers to internet services.