Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program

The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program and the Native Entity Grant Program, designed to support Native Entities in implementing essential broadband adoption and usage programs, are open for application. Indian Tribes, Alaska Native entities, and Native Hawaiian organizations are eligible applicants for both programs.

The House overwhelmingly passed a stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown at the end of the month, sending it to President Trump’s desk and punting a spending fight until after the midterm elections. The legislation includes language temporarily blocking the White House budget office from carrying out a proposed rule that would allow the administration to cancel grants to recipients that do not conform to Trump’s political views and enable his team to steer significant funding to causes and organizations aligned with him.

U.S. states and territories are making progress on their broadband goals this summer. A number of state-run initiatives have been launched, and several infrastructure projects are in full swing. While it's easy to have all eyes on the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program—and, hypocritically, more on that later—there are countless other actions states are taking to ensure robust broadband access and universal digital adoption. From infrastructure planning to deployment to increasing awareness and resources, states are doing it all.

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and National Telecommunications and Information Administrator Arielle Roth joined Chairman Tom Cole in the Chickasaw Nation near Ada, Oklahoma, to see firsthand how the Nation is using a range of broadband technologies and NTIA funding to connect its communities. During her visit, Assistant Secretary Roth toured a fixed wireless tower that delivers high-speed internet to Tribal residents, learned about the drilling equipment used to deploy fiber, and discussed how the Chickasaw Nation is incorporating satellite connectivity,

From 2020 through 2024, Congress appropriated over $82 billion to programs across multiple agencies to expand broadband access. In a number of reports in recent years, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Congress’s watchdog that investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars, recommended that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration better communicate the financial sustainability of broadband projects to Congress and improve collaboration with the other federal agencies that fund broadband deployment.

Alongside the third round of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration opened a companion Notice of Funding Oppor

The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration opened the third—and, given the dollars remaining, likely final—competition for funding under the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration at the Department of Commerce announced two new notices of funding opportunity: one for the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program and one for the Native Entities Grant Program, the native entity set-aside under the Digital Equity Act. Together, these NOFOs will make $790 million available to Tribal and Native communities to advance broadband co

On May 29, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget proposes to revise the Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance. The proposals might be among the most consequential changes to federal grant administration in more than a decade, particularly in the breadth of its policy conditions.

The Department of Commerce submitted an information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget regarding the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program and Native Entities Grant Program. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on December 10, 2025, during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.