Civil and Municipal - Jan 22

5 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1 O p e n i n g L i n e s U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE INVESTS $3.2 MILLION FOR BROA INFRASTRUCTURE TO SERVE TRIBAL COMMUNITY IN MONTEZUMA C U .S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo recently announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $3.2 million grant to the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Towaoc, Colorado, to construct broadband infrastructure. The project will provide high-speed internet service connecting the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation and the city of Towaoc to the city of Cortez, increasing access to distance learning and telemedicine, supporting public safety, and allowing for business and entrepreneurial growth across the reservation and region. This EDA investment is expected to create 33 jobs and generate $550,000 in private investment. “Too many Americans, especially those living on reservations and in Tribal communities, lack reliable, high-speed broadband – if they are even lucky enough to have internet at all. In our increasingly interconnected world, internet is not a luxury, it is a necessity, and this basic lack of access is an injustice,” said Secretary Raimondo. “Internet access means more than just opening emails and checking social media. It means having access to life- saving technologies, economic opportunities, remote learning, and countless other essential benefits. The awards presented build upon the broadband funding provided by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and reaffirm this administration’s commitment to ensuring that Tribal communities, and unserved and underserved communities across the country, have the resources they need to thrive in the 21st century.” “The Economic Development Administration is pleased to support the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe