Pilot broadband grant

The Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service awarded $11.71 million to the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians on January 15, 2026, under the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants program (CFDA 10.855) to support broadband infrastructure deployment serving rural Siletz, Oregon. The project runs through January 15, 2028.

The Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants program funds projects using telecommunications, computer networks, and related advanced technologies to deliver educational and medical benefits to rural populations. The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, a federally recognized Indian tribe headquartered in Siletz, operates across an 11-county service area in western Oregon and has established substantial capacity managing complex federal funding mechanisms across multiple agencies and program categories. This award represents one component of the tribe's broader federal grant portfolio, which includes broadband infrastructure projects funded through NTIA's Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program totaling over $1 million for fiber-optic network construction and other distance learning, telemedicine, environmental, economic development, and community health initiatives.