PORT ANGELES – It was announced on Tuesday by U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer’s office that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has awarded a total of $1 million to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and the Skokomish Indian Tribe, both for Broadband Infrastructure projects. The tribes will split the grant equally.

A news release says the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe will use the funding to install two communication shelters and initiate site preparation for the future installation of two towers, with the ultimate goal of providing broadband access to 268 unserved Tribal households in the foreseeable future.

Ken Giersch, the Tribe’s IT Director, says the pandemic years made very clear the issues faced by communities that don’t have access to access to broadband.

“Once all the schools flipped to remote learning, Sequim and Port Angeles both, it was an immediate issue here that we had to try to bandage with Verizon Hotspots. Which, even though the speeds are minimal out here, you’re roaming to Canada half the time, you know? So, it was far from optimal for a learning environment. And then, we were trying to deal with the elders and Telehealth, so they didn’t have to go out into the clinic setting. And it was the same scenario. So, it was a stopgap. By no means a solution that was long term.”

Giersch says the project’s total cost is going to be something like $5.5 million to get fiber to all homes, but the Tribe is applying for other state and federal grants, and working with the County and PUD as they move forward with their own broadband projects.