PHOENIX — Two regional cities in Arizona have received about $17.1 million in funding from the federal government for investments in high-speed internet projects, the US Department of Agriculture announced Thursday.
The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority received just over $7 million and the Tohono O’odham Utility Authority used a $10 million grant to invest in connecting thousands of people, businesses and schools to high-speed internet. I plan to. Nationwide announcement $759 million from USDA.
“The ReConnect program will help Arizona’s rural communities, especially tribal communities,” said Charlene Fernandez, USDA Rural Development Arizona State Director, in a release.
“This program will help Navajo and Tohono Oodum communities and many areas of Navajo, Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties. will have the same high-speed Internet access as anywhere else in Arizona.”
The project will be funded through the ReConnect program’s third funding round.
By participating in the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program, NTUA makes high-speed internet affordable while serving the Navajo Nation Reservation and vulnerable communities in Navajo County.
TOUA will work to serve socially vulnerable communities in Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima counties, as well as the Tohono Oodam Nation Reserve and Extraordinary Trust Lands.
To be eligible for the ReConnect program, an applicant must serve an unserved region at speeds of 100 megabits per second (download) and 20 Mbps (upload). It also requires a commitment to provide high-speed internet service to all locations within its service area.
