Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner signed legislation on Dec. 18, on the “Cherokee Connect Broadband Initiative” to construct 15 communications towers and bring high-speed internet and cell service to more than 6,000 Cherokee Nation households currently lacking service.
The tribe received a $34 million National Telecommunications and Information Administration Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program grant and expects to invest another $11 million from its Respond, Recover and Rebuild program into the broadband efforts for a $45 million total investment.
The Council of the Cherokee Nation approved the Cherokee Connect legislation during its December Council meeting, which was signed by Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner at the CC Camp Community Organization building near the rural Salem community in Adair County, south of Stilwell.
“If our Cherokee communities are to thrive in the 21st Century, they cannot be left behind when it comes to cell service and highspeed internet,” Chief Hoskin said.
“In recent years it has become all too clear that many Cherokee families in our rural communities lack access to internet service or the ability to make a call from their cell phones, and that is not acceptable on our watch, because we now have the means to do something about it. Deputy Chief Warner and I are committed to making these investments into broadband access, starting with these 15 cell towers.”
The initiative includes the construction of communication towers and partnerships between Cherokee Nation and wireless internet service providers and cellular carriers to provide affordable and reliable, high-speed internet and cellular service through 15 cell towers that will provide connection to 16 unserved and underserved communities.
Communities include Belfonte, Bell and CC Camp, Brent, Brushy, Chewey, Christie, Dry Creek, Eucha, Greasy, Marble City, Oak Hill-Piney, Oaks, Proctor, Tailholt, and Vian, pending final agreements with the community organizations that will house the towers.
“Our Cherokee families will be able to schedule telehealth visits, do online classes and simply stay in touch with our tribal programs and services and so much more when these towers are constructed,” Deputy Chief Warner said. “To bring this to our people is a true blessing.”
Construction of the towers will begin in March and is expected to be complete in 2026.
“This will bring so much connectivity to our community and offer more educational opportunities, more opportunities for Cherokees to access human services and housing, services that might be based in more populated communities. We want to make sure everyone is included, especially our Cherokee elders and our kids,” said District 8 Councilor Codey Poindexter.
The initiative builds upon the tribe’s broadband initiative started during the COVID-19 pandemic. In late 2020 the tribe installed 35 drive-up WiFi locations and deployed nearly 11,000 hotspots to Cherokee families to increase connectivity.
“The cell towers are going to be a gamechanger for these communities. This will help not only during emergency situations, but with schooling, education, and connecting our citizens to services they need to apply for. This is going to be monumental for every community that it involves,” said District 7 Councilor Joshua Sam.
With the legislation signed Dec. 18, the tribe continues to bring even more broadband investments to even more Cherokee households and communities.
The cell towers are being constructed by Texoma.
