The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes received a $17,000 First Nations Development Institute grant to provide a wireless broadband network that allows internet access to the majority of tribal members.

This grant assists the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes to design and create a wireless broadband network serving Western Oklahoma and will allow the tribes to provide 2.5 GHz wireless internet access to tribal members.

According to Ty Todd, CEO of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Business Development Corporation, providing wireless technology to the Tribes is much needed and creates additional opportunities for the Tribes.

“The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes are very concerned with the current access to the internet in our tribal service area – slow speeds, high cost and availability have created a digital divide, said Todd.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how critical access to the internet is. With this grant, we’re able to plan and develop a wireless broadband network to remove barriers and eliminate the digital divide that many in our community face.”

The network is slated to provide roughly 80 percent coverage to the tribal population within five years. The First Nations Development Institute grant is part of the Building Digital Technology Capacity in Native American Communities Project made possible through support from the Comcast Communications Technology Fund.