Osage Nation Receives $13.9 Million USDA ReConnect Broadband Grant

OSAGE RESERVATION, OKLA. (September 7, 2022) – The Osage Nation (ON) was awarded $13.9 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and ReConnect Grant Program on August 30, 2022. The ON plans to use the funds for the construction of a fiber-to-the-home network capability, offering symmetrical broadband speeds of up to one gigabit per second.

The ReConnect Grant Program provides grants to deliver funds for the costs of construction, improvement, or attainment of facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service in eligible rural areas.

“Once again, congratulations are in order for Christa Unap-Fulkerson and her entire team supported by our wonderful IT Department,” said Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear.

This award comes at the heels of a $40.6 million Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program Grant awarded to the Osage Nation on August 16, 2022. In response, the Osage Nation is working swiftly to build a broadband team to focus on planning and developing critical broadband infrastructure for Osage Nation.

ON Grants Management Director Christa Unap-Fulkerson commented: “What an exciting addition to the Nation’s broadband initiatives. This means more Osages will have access to high-speed connections to help support health outcomes, educational endeavors, and local economic growth to say the least. This is a profound opportunity to lift our people and take us into the future innovatively and competitively.”

According to Unap-Fulkerson, the funding opportunity stimulates broadband development in secluded rural areas. This is a highly competitive and intricate application process where fiscal and administrative aptitude requirements are primary award factors. ON Grants Management, ON Information Technologies, ON Department of Natural Resources, and ON Accounting Department all collaborated to contribute to the application.

The proposed project will provide broadband services within a portion of the ON reservation boundaries, covering over 206 square miles.

For more information about the ReConnect Loan and Grant Program, visit https://www.usda.gov/reconnect.

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