Navajo Nation leaders, NTUA officials and local leaders and representatives at the tower site in Chinle, Arizona
Navajo leaders met in Chinle, Arizona last week at a new tower site to celebrate the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority’s plans to build more than a hundred broadband towers across the tribal nation.
The projects were funded with a $32 million CARES Act allocation approved by the 24th Navajo Nation Council and signed into law by President Johnathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer on Aug. 16.
The funds are being used to construct towers on the Navajo Nation thanks to the efforts of NTUA and other partners to expedite the projects to meet the CARES Act deadline.
“These projects will provide long-term benefits to help families, students of all ages with online learning, first responders during emergency situations, businesses, and many others. When we work together from the local level on up, NTUA has shown that projects can be expedited and completed quickly. I commend the NTUA work crews and management for their tremendous work to make positive changes in our communities. Not only is NTUA working on broadband expansion projects, but they have also connected over 343 families to the electric grid and continue to work on developing more water resources and wastewater infrastructure during this COVID-19 pandemic,” said President Nez.
Navajo Nation Telecommunications Regulatory Commission Office Executive Director Christopher Becenti said he is excited to celebrate another milestone for telecommunications infrastructure on the Navajo Nation.
He thanked all of the entities involved including the Federal Communications Commission, for working with the Navajo Nation to allow more access to spectrum usage for communities on the Navajo Nation