April 25, 2023
For immediate release.
Media Contact: Isak Brayfindley
ibrayfindley@bluelakerancheria-nsn.gov
Tel: 707.668.5101
New Broadband coming to the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe
April 18, 2023 – Blue Lake Rancheria, California. The Blue Lake Rancheria, a federally recognized Tribal government and community, is pleased to announce the award of a new grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to build its Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, to construct broadband fiber and related infrastructure throughout its Tribal Lands.
“This funding is crucial to providing robust internet connectivity for Tribal residents and economic enterprises, at speeds required for modern, post-Covid-19 levels of e-learning, tele-health, videoconferencing, and e-commerce,” said Jason Ramos, Blue Lake Rancheria Tribal Administrator.
The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program will include design, engineering, and construction to provide hard fiber connections to the Tribe’s anchor institutions – government offices, public safety facilities, smart water grid, and others – and businesses and residences. The new broadband infrastructure will be supported by the Tribe’s three electric microgrids, which will keep internet connectivity powered up in normal situations and in emergencies.
“The Tribe’s investments in climate resilience and emergency preparedness have enabled lifeline sector service delivery, including telecommunications services, for the region in recent disasters,” Ramos said. “This funding helps us build digital communications systems to serve the needs of the Tribe for the foreseeable future.”
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About Blue Lake Rancheria
The Blue Lake Rancheria, California (BLR) is a federally recognized, sovereign Native American tribe and government located in northwest California. BLR was originally established as a refuge for homeless Indians by Executive Order in 1908. In 1958, during the ‘era of termination,’ BLR was terminated as a Tribe by the federal government. After 25 years of termination, and as a result of the Tillie Hardwick v. United States of America decision, BLR was reinstated as a federally recognized Tribe in 1983. Today, BLR has ~100 acres of trust lands spanning the Mad River in Humboldt County, California, within the ancestral territory of the Wiyot people. For more information please see: https://www.bluelakerancheria-nsn.gov