A second Passamaquoddy Tribe gets $500K to expand broadband

Courtesy / Pixabay A Maine Native American tribe will use $500,000 in federal funds for a project to create and implement digital inclusion, distance learning and telehealth and telework programs for the benefit of tribal members.

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By Renee Cordes

The Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point, in Washington County, will receive $500,000 in federal funding for a project to boost access to affordable broadband for 243 tribal households and community institutions.

The investment is being made through the National Telecommunications & Information Administration’s Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, which was funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law.

The tribal program offers grants to eligible Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian entities for high-speed internet deployment, digital inclusion, workforce development, telehealth and distance learning.

Maine's Passamaquoddy Tribe plans to put the money to use to create a Broadband Use and Adoption project aimed at fostering digital inclusion, distance learning and telehealth and telework programs for tribal members.

“In the 21st-century economy, access to high-speed Internet is absolutely essential to business development and job growth in rural areas, and it opens doors to new opportunities in telemedicine and education,” U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine, said a joint statement Tuesday.

“This investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help more members of the Passamaquoddy Tribe to reap the benefits of broadband,” they added. “We are pleased to see the continued impact of this bipartisan legislation to help close the digital divide and support Maine’s Tribal communities.”

The Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township also was recently awarded $500,000 to expand high-speed internet access for its members.

Collins, the vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, was part of the core group of 10 senators who negotiated the text of the bipartisan infrastructure law, while King co-chairs the bipartisan Senate Broadband Caucus.

Both senators worked to negotiate and pass the historic bipartisan infrastructure law, which is expected to deliver around $2.5 billion to Maine over the next five years for critical broadband, transportation, energy and environmental projects.