Earlier this year, the Office of Broadband Development released data and maps on broadband coverage of tribal areas. The numbers are high level or maybe more reflective than exact but it’s a great start on getting a handle on what’s happening in tribal areas. I thought I’d do a profile of each area, much like I have done for Minnesota Counties. Here is Grand Portage Reservation

Info on Access/Households:

• Number of households (2010 estimate): 257
• Percent Wireline Broadband 2022 speed goal (25/3): 94.24
• Percent Wireline Broadband 2026 speed goal (100/20): 94.24

Grand Portage Reservation is the Eastern part of Northern Minnesota. It is home to the Grand Portage Casino. Grand Portage has been working on better broadband, with Cook County and others through NESC middle mile project and the Arrowhead Electric Coop FTTH network.

The NESC got $43.5 million grant/loan for a 915 mile fiber optic middle mile project from ARRA stimulus funding back around 2010. Then they got funding for an extended network after the original ARRA funds. (Fond Du Lac and Bois Forte Reservations were also part of this project.)

Grand Portage worked on broadband adoption/digital inclusion projects with their involvement (via Cook County) in MIRC, a Blandin Foundation initiative, a precursor to the Blandin Broadband Communities. One project was a computer re-distribution project with PCs for People supplying donated computers to families that needed them.