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About Us: The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
promotes innovation and economic growth by working to
expand broadband connectivity and use across America
www.broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov
Explore additional BroadbandUSA resources online:
Funding Sources
Funding for a broadband project can come from many a range of public and private sources.
Data Sources
Resources to help measure current broadband availability and use in your community.
Federal Sources: Various federal agencies like the Department of Commerce offer broadband grants to tribal
governments. The BroadbandUSA Federal Funding Guide connects users to various funding opportunities that
support broadband planning, digital inclusion, and deployment projects. The site allows you to filter programs by
program purposes, eligible entities, and relevant agencies and departments.
State Sources: Many states provide broadband grants for tribal entities in their respective constituencies.
BroadbandUSA compiles information on State Broadband Programs across all 50 states, including potential state
funding opportunities.
Private Sources: Private entities will sometimes partner with local governments in public-private partnerships that
fund broadband projects. In these agreements, local governments and private entities may share associated costs,
risks, and profits from building and maintaining a broadband network.
American Community Survey Data: Releases new data every year with vital information about the people living in
the United States. Relevant data for broadband planning includes households’ Type of Computer, Internet Access,
and Type of Internet Subscription. See the Subject Tables S2801 and S2802 on the Census ACS website for this data.
FCC Fixed Broadband Deployment Map: Provides a visualization of the residential fixed broadband deployment
data collected on FCC Form 477, which gathers ISP-reported information for each census block across the United
States.
M-Lab by Measurement Lab: Tests your upload speed, download speed, latency rate, and retransmission rate. The
data collected is available to the public for download and analysis.
NTIA Indicators of Broadband Need: Displays areas across the country that lack access to high-quality internet.
Users can filter for various indicators of need (e.g., speed, usage, device access, internet access) and can view the
data with the geographies of tribal lands layered on top.
NTIA Internet Use Survey Data Explorer: Provides comprehensive data on internet and device use in the U.S.,
including information on the adoption of different types of devices and internet access technologies, locations of
internet use, online activities, and challenges that prevent people from taking full advantage of the internet.
Speedtest by Ookla: Commercial platform that tests your personal upload and download speeds, as well as latency
and retransmission rates in a network. Ookla has limited public reporting, but detailed data is available for
purchase and download.
Key Terms & Resources
Want to learn and read more? Use this section for a list of common terms
and additional resources to help your tribal entity on its broadband journey.