California’s Initiative to Improve Broadband Impact on Tribes and Underserved Communities: Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative
Click to access Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative Fact Sheet
Overview
In July 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 156 to create an open-access middle-mile network to bring equitable high-speed broadband service to all Californians. SB 156 provides $3.25 billion to build the necessary infrastructure to bring internet connectivity to homes, businesses, and community institutions. The design and construction of the middle-mile network are monitored by the Middle-Mile Advisory Committee (MMAC).
California is strengthening broadband connections to improve access to education, health services, and employment opportunities throughout the state. The Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative is the first step to creating an open-access, middle-mile network that will build infrastructure to bring high-speed broadband service to unserved and underserved communities, regardless of the technology used, on equal economic and service terms.
“We are building the nation’s largest open-access broadband network of its kind to ensure all Californians have access to reliable, high-speed internet. Our historic investments not only set California on track to thrive in the digital world, it provides the foundation for our economy and our workers to flourish.”
-Governor Gavin Newsom to California Department of Technology.
The Karuk Tribe Partners with The California Department of Technology
CDT and Karuk Tribe representatives signing an agreement to deploy network infrastructure. Photo: CDT
The Karuk Tribe, one of the largest federally recognized tribes in California, works to promote the general welfare of all Karuk people, establish equality and justice for the Tribe, to restore and preserve tribal traditions, customs, language, and ancestral rights, and to secure for themselves and their descendants the power to exercise the inherent rights of self-governance.
The Karuk Tribe is fulfilling its mission by partnering with the California Department of Technology (CDT) to install and maintain approximately 46 miles of the Middle-Mile Broadband Network (MMBN). This broadband network will expand from Humbolt County to Karuk Tribal lands in the northern parts of the state. This agreement will pave the way for reliable and affordable high-speed internet access to some of California’s most digitally stranded rural and tribal communities.
“Broadband is not just public safety and education, but also a life-changing instrument and we are partnering with the state to ensure that the next generations of the Karuk people can survive and have a better quality of life.”
-Russell “Buster” Attebery, Karuk Tribe Chairman, Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative update page
The collaboration leverages shared construction costs and resources and streamlines communication and permitting processes according to the Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative update page. The Karuk Tribe-CDT agreement represents a significant milestone for California’s initiative and underscores the strength and impact of partnerships with Tribes and local, state, and federal governments.
The Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative does not just impact the Karuk Tribe; the initiative has created 10 Tribal joint-build partnerships and engagements, 2,800+ miles in active construction, jumping to 3,000 in just the next three weeks, all 58 counties reached, 7,233 miles in lease/purchase partnership, 4,000 miles in construction by Spring 2025 according to the CDT webpage.
“My dream is for the people here to have the opportunity to grow their families, access healthcare and public safety, expand their businesses, and telework—all while staying in this beautiful area. They shouldn’t be forced to leave their lands because of a lack of infrastructure. Broadband is as essential as water or electricity. This initiative is a major step toward making that dream a reality.”
-Eric Cutright, Karuk Tribal Chief Information Officer, to California Department of Technology.