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- By Chez Oxendine
- Economic Development
The Bishop Paiute Tribe has become the first customer to activate service on California’s Middle‑Mile Broadband Network, marking an early operational milestone for the state’s open-access fiber system.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom attended the activation event in Bishop, highlighting the state’s role in building the network backbone now being used by tribal and rural providers.
The activation makes the tribe the first customer of the California Department of Technology’s Middle Mile Broadband Network.
The new internet service in Bishop is made possible by connecting to a 423-mile segment of the MMBN that runs from Barstow to the Nevada border along Highway 395. Speaking at a press event, Bishop Paiute Chairwoman Emma Williams said the connection will expand access to services including education and telehealth.
The Bishop Paiute Tribe has expanded its broadband capacity through federal and state programs, including $6.3 million from the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. Access to the state’s middle‑mile system is expected to support new last‑mile deployments and improve service reliability for residents on the reservation.
The tribe will operate its own internet service, including setting pricing and service offerings, using the state-built network.
“A lot of work went into this project,” Chairwoman Williams said.
The Middle‑Mile Broadband Initiative was created in 2021 under California Senate Bill 156 as part of a $6 billion statewide broadband package. The project aims to build more than 10,000 miles of open‑access fiber to support last‑mile networks in unserved and underserved communities. The Bishop Paiute connection is the first to deliver service through the system.
The network is part of a broader statewide effort to expand broadband infrastructure in rural and tribal areas.
