Arizona’s Navajo and Apache Counties to Receive Major Broadband Investments
Significant enhancements in fiber and broadband infrastructure are on the horizon for two rural counties in eastern Arizona. This development stems from a settlement agreement involving two major telecommunications companies.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes recently disclosed that Verizon and Frontier have pledged an $8 million investment in Navajo and Apache counties, areas that encompass some of the largest tribal lands in the state.
“I’m never, ever going to stop bird-dogging this for these two counties, because they deserve better,” Mayes emphasized in a conversation with KJZZ. “Just because you live in a rural county doesn’t mean that these telecommunications companies can treat you differently.”
Tribal lands constitute a substantial portion of these counties, with Navajo County composed of two-thirds tribal land and Apache County having approximately 70%. These areas house parts of the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, and White Mountain Apache reservations. According to the most recent census data, the majority of the population in both counties is Indigenous.
A Federal Communications Commission report from 2020 highlighted that nearly 20% of those residing on tribal lands across the U.S. lack access to broadband, compared to just 4% of those living off reservation.
Mayes recounted hearing “absolutely insane” accounts of residents resorting to social media to request emergency services, noting, “if people in Phoenix were having to call the Phoenix Police Department over Facebook, the problem would have been solved long ago.”
The planned investments include $2 million for Holbrook and Snowflake to enhance fiber network reliability. Another $2 million is allocated for St. Johns, Concho, Springville, and Vernon to strengthen their connections, with Show Low benefiting from both allocations.
The remaining $4 million is designated for connecting homes and businesses to high-speed fiber. The Attorney General’s office described this “holistic approach” as a means to “help connect Native communities across northern Arizona.”
Additionally, the settlement mandates that service providers address the frequent 911 outages by identifying and rectifying their root causes, alongside performing a comprehensive network audit. This agreement is pending approval from a Maricopa County Superior Court judge and the Arizona Corporation Commission.
As Verizon prepares to acquire Frontier in a $20 billion transaction recently sanctioned by the FCC, Mayes asserted that “they have all the resources in the world to make these fixes” and expressed her readiness to return to court should the improvements not be realized.
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