Fairbanks Daily News Miner: TCC to receive $30.3 million for broadband
Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) will be receiving a $30.3 million federal grant to fund broadband infrastructure in rural Interior communities, according to a Friday press release from Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office.
The funds will provide communities in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census area and Hughes, Huslia, Alatna and Allakaket Native Village Statistical Areas with affordable and reliable high-speed internet to be used in homes, schools and workplaces.
“Congratulations to the Tanana Chiefs Conference and the many communities in the Yukon Koyukuk region who will benefit from the transformational change this investment in broadband infrastructure will bring,” said Murkowski (R), who announced TCC’s grant with Sen. Dan Sullivan (R).
“I’m glad to see the significant federal infrastructure dollars we secured being deployed to break down the digital divide and improve the lives and well-being of thousands of Alaskans across the Interior of Alaska,” Sullivan added.
The grant was made possible by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and comes from the USDA’s ReConnect Program. The program offers grants and/or loans “to facilitate broadband deployment in areas of rural America that currently do not have sufficient access to broadband,” according to the USDA.
TCC’s grant will also be supported by the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity and Tribal Lifeline program, which provides discounts to eligible low-income subscribers.
“TCC is proud to have secured funding for this vital infrastructure project on behalf of our tribes along the Koyukuk River,” TCC Chief Brian Ridley said.
By: Staff report
Source: Fairbanks Daily News Miner
