- Details
- By Chez Oxendine
- Economic Development
The Hoopa Valley Tribe has opened a tribally owned data center that will serve as the hub for the tribe’s expanding broadband network in Northern California.
The new NTIA Data Center is the latest step in the tribe’s broadband expansion across the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, Willow Creek and Trinity County. Hoopa Valley Tribe Vice Chairman Jordan Hailey said the project reflects years of work to strengthen local digital infrastructure.
The facility was built using funding from the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The Hoopa Valley tribe received a $65 million grant from the NTIA in 2022, per prior Tribal Business News reporting.
The federal funding has been part of a broader effort by the tribe to shift from vulnerable wireless connections to more resilient fiber infrastructure and expand broadband on and beyond the reservation. In 2023, Hoopa Valley Public Utility Department (HVPUD) partnered with California on a $10.25 million, 23-mile middle-mile fiber project that expanded the tribe’s existing buildout. That project is currently under construction and is scheduled for completion by December 2026.
The new data center will serve as the operational hub for the tribe’s fiber‑to‑the‑home network and will house Acorn Connected, the tribe’s internet service provider. HVPUD General Manager Linnea Jackson said the center is designed to support long‑term digital development and expand service throughout the region.
“We’ve increased our technology, and we’re looking to have our community support us in our next fiber journey, starting with this data center,” Jackson said. “It’s going to be our hub. It’s going to be for our customer base, and it’s for our Hoopa people.”
The building incorporates Hupa cultural elements and was constructed by Eureka, Calif.-based general contractor ACGC, Inc.
Jackson said the facility also protects its data sovereignty by giving the tribe greater control over the infrastructure, systems and information.
Brian Edwards contributed reporting.
