Navajo Nation representatives recently appeared before the House Natural Resources subcommittee to give testimony on major infrastructure deficits and deficiencies on Tribal lands and to ensure Native Americans are included in funding under the Biden Administration’s proposed $2.2T American Jobs Plan for infrastructure and related projects.
The plan would fund traditional infrastructure projects as well as support clean energy development and improved services for communities.
Tribal concerns addressed under the plan include water systems, transit, housing, and a commitment to nationwide high speed broadband coverage.
Representatives of Arizona State University’s American Indian Policy Institute said a third of residents on tribal lands rely on cell phones for web access and 18 percent have no internet access at all, with 25 percent lacking even landlines.
AIPI estimated a cost of $8B needed to begin closing the internet access gap. The plan’s universal coverage proposal recommends a $100B total nationwide investment.
The administration would fund the American Jobs Plan by raising corporate tax rates, which it estimates would raise $2T over 15 years. Republicans oppose the proposal, saying it both over-reaches and increases taxes too much. (Source)
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