Passamaquoddy Tribe awarded $500K for broadband

Map / COURTESY FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION With more people moving to Maine’s rural areas, the need for a stronger broadband network has come to the forefront.

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By Alexis Wells

The Passamaquoddy Tribe in Indian Township will be awarded $500,000 to improve high-speed internet access.

The broadband use and adoption project will help create and implement digital inclusion, distance learning and telehealth and telework programs.

The investment was made through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, which was funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law that offers grants to eligible Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian entities. The bipartisan infrastructure law is expected to deliver approximately $2.5 billion to Maine over the next five years for critical broadband projects.

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine, both worked to negotiate and pass the legislation, delivering billions of dollars to Maine for investments in broadband, roads and bridges, among other things.

Collins, the ranking member of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, was part of the core group of 10 senators who negotiated the text of the bipartisan infrastructure law.

“From spurring economic development and employment opportunities to supporting telemedicine and education, access to affordable, high-speed Internet is critical to the vitality of rural communities,” Collins and King said in a joint statement announcing the award. “This investment from the bipartisan infrastructure law will help more members of the Passamaquoddy Tribe to reap the benefits of broadband. We are pleased to see the continued impact of this bipartisan legislation to help close the digital divide and support Maine’s Tribal communities.”