With support from the national telecommunications information administration (ntia) tribal broadband connectivity program (tbcp), the confederated tribe of siletz indians (ctsi) will deploy a…

With support from the national telecommunications information administration (ntia) tribal broadband connectivity program (tbcp), the confederated tribe of siletz indians (ctsi) will deploy a comprehensive fiber optic broadband network to provide qualifying broadband services (1000/1000 mbps) to 31 unserved tribal residences within and near the city of siletz, oregon. Additionally, the proposed network will provide qualifying services to 9 community anchor institutions and make service available to 268 non-tribal unserved residences. As ctsi and the city of siletz are highly rural, most of the region does not receive qualifying broadband service. In FY2022, ctsi received an ntia tbcp award to evaluate the feasibility of constructing a tribally owned and operated broadband network to address the lack of adequate broadband service on tribal lands. The completed study (attached to this application) concluded that a cost-effective and technically feasible broadband network could be constructed in the proposed service area. Additionally, the study concluded that ctsi and its partners should deploy its own network by leveraging its experienced project team with nearly 100 years of combined experience that includes the management of federal broadband grants and constructing tribal broadband networks throughout the southwest. The proposed project, expanding broadband access for ctsi will provide the following benefits to ctsi: provide a broadband network with qualifying broadband services of up to 1000/1000 mbps to an unserved tribal community (31 tribal residences and will make available the same services to 268 non-tribal unserved homes) and provide a broadband network with qualifying broadband network services of up to 1000/1000 mbps to 9 tribal anchor institutions; extend qualifying broadband services to 9 tribal anchor institutions; provide a broadband network that meets quality of services measures such that network outages do not exceed, on average, 48 hours over any 365 days; connect tribal members and residents of the city of siletz to increased economic opportunities and good-paying jobs; increase access to telehealth services and improve emergency response times and provide redundancy for local and regional electric grid networks. The proposed middle mile will provide the only source of redundancy to the service area and provide the infrastructure necessary to connect all 31 unserved tribal residences. The proposed middle mile will also allow existing service providers in nearby towns to connect to ctsis infrastructure, providing greater redundancy from the city of toledo to lincoln city; provide a low latency network that is responsive, efficient, and fast; facilitate inclusive workforce development and broadband training practices by contracting with an ISP to provide tribal members with information technology and broadband deployment career training and career pathways; and develop a tribally owned and operated network, facilitating and ensuring tribal self sufficiency.