Wisconsin Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Program

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act awarded the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa $8,047,002 as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program to broaden internet and broadband access throughout its reservation and community. This funding provides for 80 miles of fiber optic cable that will create 700 connection points for Tribal members in two towns.

Historical context

• The reservation was not able to establish a better internet/broadband connection on its own due to the high costs and lack of infrastructure.
  • “[Red Cliff Planning Administrator] Nicole Boyd said the grant was needed to get high-speed internet to the reservation because no private company would be willing to run lines on their own. She said it has been a long haul seeking the funding from NTIA, meeting all the federal requirements and emerging with a winning application. Still, she said, there is much more that remains to be done.

    ‘In most cases it will be a boring-through-the- ground operation. You won’t see much except where drilling happens,’ [Red Cliff Information Technology Director Evan] Cutler said.

    Nicole Boyd said permitting and environmental assessments would take some time, but Cutler said work on the ground could begin this year or next spring.” – Ashland Daily Press, September 2, 2022

  • “Some older homes and apartment buildings were never wired for broadband, and the cost of installing it now could be a significant barrier for the property owners.” – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 8, 2021
• The lack of connection has been affecting the residents of rural Wisconsin and the reservation, as they are unable to communicate with the community at large by any means.
  • “​​A significant portion of people in rural Wisconsin — and millions across the country — lack an online connection that’s sufficient for even basic tasks such as uploading a video or taking an online class.” – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 8, 2021
  • “The Red Cliff tribe and communities on the tip of northern Wisconsin have experienced challenges with adequate communication. Lacking cell coverage was highlighted in the death of a Loyal family last summer. Eric Fryman and his three young children died while kayaking on Lake Superior. Fryman’s wife, Cari Mews-Fryman, who survived, had made calls and texts for help that went unanswered for hours.” – Wisconsin Public Radio, May 30, 2019

Project summary

• This investment will provide up to 700 connection points for Tribal members and underserved businesses. “The project will install 80 miles of fiber optic cable, serving nearly 700 connection points. This includes unserved businesses, tribal government programs, households, and lease sites. Off reservation, the project includes 12 tribal member households in the Town of Russell and 15 tribal member households within the Belanger Settlement. There are over 50 Tribal Government entities, Tribal-owned enterprises, private businesses owned by tribal members, and other community institutions on the reservation.” – Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, May 1, 2024
• The groundbreaking ceremony in May 2024 kicked off installation. “The Red Cliff Tribe has begun installing 80 miles of fiber optic cable in Gaa-Miskwaabikaang (Red Cliff Reservation) as part of an $8 million grant from the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA). The Tribe was awarded the grant in August of 2022. The Red Cliff Tribal Council celebrated the project with a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the first installation. The Fiber To Home Project will bring qualifying broadband service and high-speed internet to all tribal homes, government programs, and businesses within Red Cliff tribal jurisdiction. This also includes tribal member households off the reservation in the neighboring Town of Russell and tribal member households within the Belanger Settlement.” – Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, May 1, 2024

Outcomes, improvements, and practical impact

• This investment will allow the Red Cliff community to close the gap with the rest of the country. “[Red Cliff Tribal Chairman] Christopher Boyd said the Red Cliff community has faced many disadvantages due to the lack of reliable and affordable online access. ‘The tribe is relieved to finally be able to close the gap with the rest of the country,’ he said. Nicole Boyd said that once the construction of the fiber optic system is completed, the tribe will seek proposals from service providers for Internet and data services.” – Ashland Daily Press, September 2, 2022

Racial equity and justice impact

• More than 18 percent of Indigenous people in the United States lack internet access. “As a group, Native Americans are the country’s poorest—with more than twice the poverty rate of Whites—and the digital gap is also stark. Conservative estimates show more than 18% of indigenous people lack internet access, compared with about 4% of people in non-tribal areas.” – Bloomberg Government, October 25, 2022

Economic impact

• This investment will make it easier to start a business and access educational opportunities. “‘If someone is trying to start a home-based business, it would be well within their capability to do so,” he [Evan Cutler] said.

‘In terms of work, educational opportunities, just the quality of life, everyone knows that broadband is a necessity of life, and high-functioning internet is something we don’t have here,’ [Nicole] Boyd said. ‘We are very restricted in what limited providers offer here.’” – Ashland Daily Press, September 2, 2022

• This will connect 705 households, 18 businesses, and four anchor institutions to the rest of the digital world. “The Broadband Infrastructure Deployment project proposes to install fiber to directly connect 705 unserved Native American households, 18 unserved Native American businesses, and 4 Native American community anchor institutions with fiber-to-the-home 940 Mbps/30 Mbps service.” – Internet for All, last accessed January 2024

Official supporting statements

• Red Cliff Chairman Christopher Boyd: “This is an incredible award for the Red Cliff Tribe here in Gaa-Miskwaabikaang … Providing high-speed internet to every home, business, and program on our Tribal lands opens opportunities for our membership and community to access more education, increased telehealth services, job opportunities, and economic growth. Our rural community has faced many disadvantages due to the lack of reliable and affordable internet access, and the Tribe is relieved to finally be able to close the gap with the rest of the country. For our future generations to thrive, we must keep up with the times. Our Tribal Nation would like to recognize our former IT Director Theron Rutyna along with our Planning Administrator Nicole Boyd for their hard work in bringing this project to fruition. Chi-Miigwech to the NTIA for this award.” – Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, August 25, 2022
• President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe Kevin Killer: “We have lagged behind the rest of America for too long, and the COVID-19 public health emergency made the importance of broadband to our daily lives abundantly clear. The NTIA’s TBCP award will provide the necessary resources and infrastructure for our Tribal Citizens to engage in remote education, telemedicine, remote work, and other activities. It will allow our Tribal Nation and our Citizens to thrive in the evolving digital economy and spur much-needed economic development overall on our Reservation. We are grateful to this Administration for making this award.” – National Telecommunications and Information Administration, August 23, 2022
• Red Cliff Chairwoman Nicole Boyd: “Providing high-speed internet access to every home, business, and program in Gaa-Miskwaabikaang will open important opportunities for our community to pursue more education, increased telehealth services, job opportunities, and economic growth. Having high-speed internet is not a want or wish, it is a need to function and have a higher quality of life, and this project helps meet that need.” – Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, May 1, 2024

Selected clips

• “Oneida Nation and Ojibwe school in Hayward will use new grant funding for broadband internet and STEM learning. Here’s what to know.” – Green Bay Press Gazette, May 5, 2023
• “Wisconsin could receive up to $1.2B to expand broadband coverage where service is lacking” – Wisconsin Public Radio, October 26, 2022
• “Red Cliff Breaks Ground On Fiber To Home Project” – Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, May 1, 2024