- Details
- By Chez Oxendine
- Economic Development
The Osage Nation secured a $17.5 million federal broadband award, pushing its total broadband infrastructure investment to more than $72 million as the tribe continues expanding high‑speed internet across the reservation.
The funding comes through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect Program and will support a multiyear buildout targeting unserved and underserved areas. The project includes installing about 110 miles of fiber and connecting at least 176 locations. Network speeds are expected to reach up to 100 Mbps once construction is complete.
The award builds on a series of competitive federal grants secured since 2022, including a $40.6 million Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program award and a $13.9 million USDA ReConnect grant. Together with Nation funding, those projects formed the core of a multiyear broadband buildout now exceeding $72 million.
Those earlier awards supported construction of more than 200 miles of fiber and development of a tribally managed broadband operation, Wahzhazhe Connect, under the Nation’s Secretary of Development.
The project is intended to expand access for households, businesses and community institutions, supporting economic development, remote learning and telehealth.
Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear and senior staff have pursued federal broadband funding over multiple cycles while building internal grant and compliance capacity to compete for and manage large awards, according to a statement.
The Nation said the effort relied on coordination across its Department of Grants, Contracts and Compliance, Broadband Department and Osage LLC. The project will include conduit systems, buried fiber, service connections, network equipment, engineering and project management. Christa Unap Fulkerson, director of the Department of Grants, Contracts and Compliance, has led grant development and compliance efforts across multiple funding rounds, working with the Nation’s IT and broadband teams to secure awards.
Officials credited coordination across departments — including grants, IT and broadband — as a key factor in securing competitive federal funding.
