Many rural communities in the North State have poor or no internet service. Living in a digital desert in an increasingly connected world is becoming less and less possible.
Chief Information Officer, Eric Cartwright, says the reason the Karuk Tribe is bringing broadband to unconnected communities is because no one else will do it.
“All the phone companies in the area ran the numbers and said this isn’t profitable,” Cartwright said. “By the tribal government stepping in, they can say that this is a right, and they can make sure that everybody in their service area has that.”
Without internet, businesses can’t operate. Health clinics can’t function. Telemedicine isn’t available. People can’t sign up for government services, which agencies are increasingly providing online. And students with no internet are disadvantaged. Something highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Cartwright said there’s an even more important need — connecting people.
“There’s even been some crises in the area of rashes of suicides because people felt so disconnected from everyone else,” Cartwright said. “The most important is going to be public safety. It’s letting people reach emergency services when they need it, let people report the fires, get the ambulance out there if there’s a medical emergency. I don’t want to be too dramatic, but this will actually save lives.”
In 2015, the Karuk partnered with the Yurok Tribe to create the Klamath Rural Broadband Initiative, or KRBI. It will allow the tribes to bring high-speed fiber-optic broadband to more than 600 households and businesses in five communities. It’s partly funded by an $18 million state grant with funding also coming from the federal government and tribes.
However, creating the infrastructure won’t be easy. Cables need to be laid over mountainous terrain, under creeks and over rivers. Cartwright says the tribes now have the necessary permits to begin building out the network, and work is scheduled to begin next spring or summer.
