NTERNET ACCESS

Tribe bolstering broadband connections for more rural Cherokee communities

By Katelynn Bowden

F or Florida resident and Cherokee citizen Charles Harp and his daughter Audra Harp, finding affordable and reliable Internet access was a challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But then the Harps saw a post online from Cherokee Nation publicizing the tribe’s Respond, Recover and Rebuild relief initiative that provided free Internet hot-spot devices. All it took was signing up through the tribe’s online Gadugi Portal system at https://gadugiportal.cherokee.org/.

“I was just in awe,” Charles said. “I even asked, ‘Are you serious, we can get this here and it actually works?’ We have a hard time getting even a regular cell signal.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the tribe formed partnerships with Internet providers to help meet the needs of Cherokee citizens, deploying nearly 11,000 mobile hotspots to Cherokee households lacking Internet access as well as installing 35 drive-up Wi-Fi locations in Cherokee communities across the reservation.

“I was in an online college program and having the hotspot from Cherokee Nation helped me considerably with my work,” Audra said. “I was able to take my quizzes, tests, and get studying done right from the comfort of my home.”

The mobile hotspots provided by the tribe to citizens during the pandemic will help provide Internet service through April of 2025 for devices that remain actively used.

Cherokee Nation’s 7,000-square-mile reservation includes many rural areas where the Cherokee language and culture are thriving, but where resources like reliable Internet can be hard to find. The tribe is working to find creative ways of bringing Internet connectivity to these communities so citizens can connect with family and friends, access healthcare and continue their education.

Part of this work is being completed with a $34 million federal grant received through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, which is allowing Cherokee Nation to expand high-speed Internet networks.

Dorothy Teehee is a first-language Cherokee speaker from the rural community of Belfonte. Cherokee Nation worked to connect Teehee to the Internet in August of 2020.

“Now that I know how handy and helpful the Internet can be, I realized that there was a lot I didn’t even realize I couldn’t do,” said Teehee. “For instance, right now it is incredibly helpful to me because I am a diabetic. My community is not close to a hospital, you would have to drive 25 miles out just to find one around here. It helps ease my mind to know that we can reach out for help if we ever need it. I’m also able to see my results from the doctor a lot quicker now, so instead of waiting for the mail to come in a week later, I’m able to get onto the patient portal and see them immediately.”

The tribe also recently worked with AT&T to build a cell tower in Kenwood, a rural Cherokee community where cellular phone service was nearly non-existent. Access to quality broadband and cell service can bridge the digital divide between those on the Cherokee Nation Reservation.

“I just think having the Internet is so crucial now,” said Teehee. “We are now able to stay in touch with family and friends who live far off. It is just so great that the tribe has brought out Internet connection to a community like ours. Now we can be in the know when it comes to what the Cherokee Nation has to offer.”

Cherokee Nation has created a website that provides locations of drive-up Internet hubs across the tribe’s reservation and provides more details about the Cherokee Nation’s ongoing broadband efforts at https://connect. cherokee.org/locations/.

ABOVE: Executive Director of Cherokee Nation Housing Programs Todd Enlow, who previously served as Chief of Staff, explains to Cherokee speakers Jack and Brenda Bush how to connect to their new affordable, high speed Internet in the Belfonte community.