Tester Secures $15 Million from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to Bring High Speed Internet to Rocky Boy

Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program to deliver broadband infrastructure to 770 households

As a part of his recently signed bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today secured $15,300,356.84 in Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) funding for the Chippewa Cree Tribe to install broadband infrastructure and bring high speed internet to 770 households on the Rocky Boy Reservation.

Tester was one of four other Democrats and five Republicans to negotiate the bipartisan IIJA, and was the only member of Montana’s congressional delegation to support the legislation.

“High speed internet is critical to the success of students, families, and small businesses in the 21^st century,” said Tester. “For far too long the federal government has ignored the needs of folks in Indian Country, which is why I was proud to work with Tribal leadership and secure significant investments for their communities through my bipartisan infrastructure law. These resources will ensure that folks can stay connected, continue to learn out of the classroom, and help start and boost small businesses on the Rocky Boy Reservation.”

Funding from the TBCP will be delivered to the Chippewa Cree Tribe to install fiber and fixed wireless infrastructure to directly connect 770 Native American households with fiber-to-the-home high speed internet. The TBCP program was created and funded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and Tester’s IIJA provided an additional $2 billion to the program.

As a part of Tester’s bipartisan IIJA, the Administration announced its Internet for All initiative, which includes the TBCP, and will build internet infrastructure, teach digital skills, and provide necessary technology to ensure that everyone in America – including rural communities, communities of color, and older Americans – have the access and skills they need to fully participate in the 21st century economy.

Tester worked across the aisle for months to negotiate the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act with a group of five Republicans, four Democrats, and the White House, and he was the only member of Montana’s congressional delegation to vote for it. Tester’s law is projected to create more than 800,000 American jobs and lower costs for businesses by making targeted investments that will strengthen our nation without raising taxes on working families.

A list of the legislation’s provisions can be found HERE.