Omaha Tribe gets $38 million federal grant to strengthen high-speed internet

OMAHA, Neb. (Nebraska Examiner) — The Omaha Tribe of Nebraska got a $38 million boost Friday from the federal government to expand high-speed internet services.

The funding comes from the Biden administration’s Internet for All initiative, and more specifically is to build “middle mile” internet service. That infrastructure carries large amounts of data over long distances and helps connect underserved regions and households to national internet networks.

The Omaha tribe and its subsidiary, Quick Current LLC, plan to deploy a fiber-based network that serves the Omaha and Winnebago Tribes of Nebraska and Iowa.

The network is to consist of 272 route miles of new fiber and 146 route miles of IRU dark fibers.

The project is one of 35 announced Friday to receive a financial chunk of the $930 million “Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program,” according to a news release.

More than 260 applications totaling nearly $7.5 billion in funding requests were submitted.

“Access to internet is no longer a luxury,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. 

She said that much like how the Interstate highway system connected every community in America to regional and national systems of highways, the middle mile program will help connect communities across the country to large networks that provide affordable high-speed internet access.

U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., said that in today’s digital world, broadband connectivity is basic infrastructure.

“Nebraskans depend on high-speed internet for education, telehealth, entertainment, commerce, and more,” Ricketts said. “This grant will move us one step closer to achieving our goal of ensuring that every Nebraska community has a chance to thrive.”

The middle mile program is run by the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

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