Tribal Broadband Bootcamp Fosters Digital Solutions

February 3, 2023

Kyle Knox

Managing Editor

Dozens of telecom professionals from several tribal communities across the country assembled at District 4 on Jan. 24 for a Tribal Broadband Bootcamp workshop.  Tribal Broadband Bootcamp coordinated the event, which allows tribal communities to come together for three days of learning, technical assistance, and sharing of solutions that may impact each other. 

Tribal Broadband Bootcamp has hosted five workshops before coming to GRIC and works to support the growing telecommunication needs of tribal communities.  Everything they share helps to steward the need for telecommunication infrastructure in hopes of providing internet and better service for tribes or helping to “bridging the digital divide.” 

“The real objective here is to create a human network of people doing the same thing, in different reservations, so they’re no longer working in silos,” said Tribal Broadband Bootcamp co-founder Matthew Rantanen.  “After these workshops, they will now have a network of colleagues and professionals to bounce ideas off of and find solutions together.” 

The event was sponsored by Gila River Telecommunications, Inc.’s Digital Connect Initiative (DCI).  “I got to talking with the event creators and explained that our mission of bridging the digital divide in Indian Country includes expanding opportunities for tribes,” said Mikhail Sundust, Executive Director for DCI.  “These bootcamps give tribal members a chance to get involved in the telecommunications industry, and with a wealth of experience at GRTI, Gila River would make an excellent host site for the Tribal Broadband Bootcamp.”

Representatives from Ft. McDowell Yavapai Nation, The Hopi Tribe, and others were some of the participants who attended the boot camp.  Every tribe came with various levels of needs, technical support, and unique issues regarding bridging the “digital divide.” Fortunately, the Tribal Broadband Bootcamp brought professionals to provide assistance and hands-on experience in troubleshooting issues in their communities. 

“One major highlight of the bootcamp was when all participants rotated amongst different workstations where they got to learn how to splice fiber, experiment with monitoring and testing equipment, and see how fiber maintenance is performed in the field from a fiber truck,” said Sundust.

Gov. Lewis attended the second day and learned to splice fiber optic cable.  The opportunity provided a hands-on look at several aspects of what GRTI professionals are tasked with daily.  Tribal Broadband Bootcamp organizers are pleased when tribal leaders attend the workshops.  This gives them a better understanding of what is required for these highly specialized jobs and shows the need to build a pipeline to support telecommunication careers.

DCI will continue to provide learning opportunities locally for GRIC as they continue to host their “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) learning lab on the third Thursday of every month at the Gila River Telecommunications building in Chandler.  Community members are encouraged to bring their devices and questions about how to use them or the internet.  DCI also rotates host sites among the district service centers.  Their next BYOD in the Community will be on Feb. 16 at the District 1 Service Center. 

For more information on BYOD and DCI, visit www.digitalconnect.org.