Bridging the digital divide for Native American tribes: Roadblocks to broadband and community resilience

Abstract

AbstractNative American reservations are faced with a growing need for High‐speed Internet and broadband access but face a variety of barriers to broadband infrastructure deployment. This paper discusses the difficulties tribal nations have faced in developing their education, economy, and access to healthcare and public safety due to the roadblocks in building this infrastructure within their tribes. Using case studies and interviews from over 30 Native American tribes, we reveal the shift of responsibility from federal institutions to Native American communities, stressing a tendency to downplay structural factors of exclusion and inequality affecting tribes' resilience practices. Our article advances the understanding of external and internal factors of roadblocks that Native American tribes have not yet been able to overcome, stemming from limitations of support by state and government institutions, limited capacities and knowledge among tribal members, and complex terrain that also has a sacred value to tribes. Results indicate that resilient communities can produce and sustain practices to overcome internal obstacles, during which resilience practices continue expanding the community's capacity to develop its digital systems and leadership.