March 10, 2022

Dear USET/USET SPF Family,

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has issued a Dear Tribal Leader Letter to announce a Tribal consultation on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Under IIJA, NTIA has been allocated over $42 billion for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, $2.7 billion for Digital Equity Act programs, and $1 billion for a Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure program. However, under IIJA, these funds have been allocated to state governments. NTIA is seeking Tribal Nation recommendations to ensure state governments properly engage with Tribal Nations for broadband deployment. Information regarding this Tribal consultation is as follows—

• Date/Time: Friday, March 18, 2022 from 2:00pm to 6:00pm ET
• Click Here to Register

To view Framing Questions for this consultation, please view the Dear Tribal Leader Letter. For more information on the IIJA broadband infrastructure programs, please click here. Written comments are due March 18, 2022 by 6:00pm ET and can be submitted to broadbandusa@ntia.gov using the subject line, “Tribal Broadband Grant Program IIJA”. Questions regarding this consultation should be directed to Adam Geisler at (202) 494-7820, or at ageisler@ntia.gov.

For more information, please contact Brian Howard, USET SPF Senior Policy Analyst, at bhoward@usetinc.org.

Established in 2014, the USET Sovereignty Protection Fund (USET SPF) is a non-profit, inter-Tribal organization advocating on behalf of thirty-three (33) federally recognized Tribal Nations from the Northeastern Woodlands to the Everglades and across the Gulf of Mexico. USET SPF is dedicated to promoting, protecting, and advancing the inherent sovereign rights and authorities of Tribal Nations and in assisting its membership in dealing effectively with public policy issues.