We are voicing our concerns to make them known to the general public and those in office or who will be in office on the Navajo Nation. As an organization for the advocacy of Broadband on the Navajo Nation, we are concerned about the status and how the broadband deployment is progressing following large grant awards. There is a total of $120 Million that was awarded for Broadband projects. How great it will be to have high speed, affordable, reliable Internet service!
Hold on. There are concerns on multiple levels that could easily be remedied by better communication. We feel that if these issues are not addressed, they will become roadblocks to the success of these projects. Like the saying goes ‘Failure to plan is planning to fail’.
It is a significant step forward that the Navajo Nation has enacted ARPA legislation CJN-29-22. Establishing the Broadband Office was important. Broadband funding is significant and the construction window is short but the funding and completion of these vital broadband projects are at risk. Eighty (80) days into the time frame, we don’t know the status. None of the Eligible Telecommunications Carriers (ETCs) have been given a green light on any of their projects. Why?
- The Broadband office needs to be allowed to do its job. It has been fully funded. States have led the way and have created templates to follow. There is nothing in the way of creating a Broadband Strategic Plan. This would make the rest of the processes easier to design and follow.
- As of yet, the process has not been communicated to the carriers and we are not aware if the communication is the same to the Chapters. It should be public knowledge.
- At this point in time, the Navajo Nation Broadband Office (NNBO) project list based on the ETC submissions has not been released. Until it is, Chapters will have difficulty selecting and submitting their expenditure plan to the Department of Community Development by the deadline.
- There needs to be clarity and transparency about how the emergency procurement procedures will be enacted. Does it apply to all projects or will their still be projects sent out to bid? Without knowing this, the timeline for funding awards is very uncertain and could result in extended delays. Project bidding takes months. Then the 164 process is done. ETCs will have a difficult time reserving capacity to accommodate projects.
In the midst of all this are 2 more potential roadblocks to success – the time-consuming Right-of-Way hurdles and the pending Telecommunications Siting Regulations. What is important is that the Navajo Nation has the ability to change these roadblocks in both cases and can issue directives to resolve them.
Our comments are a culmination of the months of discussion with our members. Our comments are not from the sideline. ETCs are in it to succeed in getting essential broadband services to the Navajo people and they need to be kept informed. We, together, have a deep understanding of the true situation of broadband on the Navajo Nation.