Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point will be awarded $500,000 in federal funding to improve high-speed Internet access for tribal members. This investment was made through the National Telecommunications & Information Administration’s Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP), which was funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law. This project will support affordable broadband access for 243 Passamaquoddy Tribal households and community anchor institutions.

“In the 21st century economy, access to high-speed Internet is absolutely essential to business development and job growth in rural areas, and it opens doors to new opportunities in telemedicine and education,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement.  “This investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help more members of the Passamaquoddy Tribe to reap the benefits of broadband.  We are pleased to see the continued impact of this bipartisan legislation to help close the digital divide and support Maine’s Tribal communities.”

Senator Collins, the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, was part of the core group of 10 Senators who negotiated the text of the bipartisan infrastructure law. Senators Collins and King both worked to negotiate and pass this historic legislation, which will deliver billions of dollars to Maine for investments in broadband, roads, bridges, and more. As Co-Chair of the bipartisan Senate Broadband Caucus, Senator King has been a strong advocate for expanding affordable broadband access as a way to increase economic opportunity in rural Maine.

The TBCP offers grants to eligible Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian entities for high-speed internet deployment, digital inclusion, workforce development, telehealth, and distance learning.  The Passamaquoddy Tribe’s Broadband Use and Adoption project will help to create and implement digital inclusion, distance learning, and telehealth and telework programs for the benefit of tribal members.

The bipartisan infrastructure law is expected to deliver approximately $2.5 billion to Maine over the next five years for critical broadband, transportation, energy, and environmental projects.

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