We are proud to recognize the inaugural awardees of the Seven Star Communities program!

This program is the first time Native nations and entities are being honored and recognized for their excellence in providing sustainable digital inclusion solutions that address their community and nation’s connectivity, digital skills, and device access. Digital inclusion and equity are essential to a Native nation’s educational, health, economic, cultural, and social needs. Each nation and community is overcoming monumental barriers and finding unique solutions with passionate staff and supportive leadership.

Alliance for Navajo Broadband

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Gila River Indian Community

Gila River Telecommunications, Inc.

Hoopa Valley Public Utilities District

Jemez Pueblo Tribal Network

Mohawk Networks LLC

Sṕq́ńiʔ Broadband Services

The Seven Star Communities program is an initiative born out of partnership between the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) and AMERIND Critical Infrastructure (ACI), a Tribally-owned company working on infrastructure development efforts in their Critical Infrastructure department.

Earlier this month, the inaugural class of Seven Star Communities was announced at the 81st convening of the National Congress of American Indians during the Telecommunications subcommittee proceedings — a significant platform because NCAI advocates for Tribal sovereignty and drives policy efforts on a national level. Seven Star Communities recipients will be formally recognized at Net Inclusion 2025, hosted on the Gila River Indian Community.

The Seven Star Communities program serves as a peer knowledge-sharing resource for documents, resources, and best practices. Materials submitted by the applicants will be made available soon to show how these Tribes and communities are involving community, building knowledge, reflecting culture and values, and gaining leadership support. Keep an eye on the Seven Star Communities webpage to see materials shared by this year’s recipients.

Seven Star Communities encourages Native nations to invest resources in digital equity and ensure that future generations benefit from current efforts to bridge the digital divide.

Alliance for Navajo Broadband advocated to Senator Lujan of New Mexico on the importance of Lifeline and the Affordable Connectivity Program by providing essential data, such as the fact that 75% of the cell service consumers on the Navajo Nation relied on one or both of these programs.

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma built a centralized platform for the Choctaw Nation to find accurate and up-to-date information on internet access in their communities. Folks can now locate their region’s internet service providers, coverage areas, and connectivity options. 

Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) as a nation is supporting many initiatives to close the digital divide in their community. Notably, the nation supports a computer lab in each of its seven district service centers, including the Community Technology Center, which features more than twenty desktop computers for public use, and the Ira H. Hayes Memorial Library, which has eight public computers. GRIC has championed the efforts ofthe Digital Connect Initiative (DCI), a community service that exists to help people improve their quality of life using modern technology. As a nation, they have hosted the National Tribal Telecommunications Association (NTTA) Summit and will host the upcoming Net Inclusion conference.

Gila River Telecommunications, Inc., through its subsidiary Digital Connect, will kick off its Digital Inclusion Study in 2024 to learn more about the barriers, opportunities, and goals experienced by community members with regard to engaging with the digital world. Digital Connect is also working to  to bring free public Wi-Fi access to all seven GRIC service centers.

Hoopa Valley Public Utilities District is a community-led effort to get robust internet access through their work as a WISP, their current fiber build-out, and sharing stories from lived experts about the realities of rural connectivity. These efforts are paired with their digital navigator, who worked to improve the Tribal benefit associated with the Affordable Connectivity Program by offering knowledge to Tribal nations and working with USAC to improve the process. HVUD has been featured in the national spotlight, including Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, The North Coast Journal of Politics, and The Nation.

Jemez Pueblo Tribal Network celebrated Digital Inclusion Week in 2023 with a Traditions and Technology event. Over 100 participants engaged with Tribal departments, entered a raffle for tech-related swag, and had a chance to take home refurbished and new devices. They invited a local traditional dance group, the Cloud Eagle Dancers, to perform. The Jemez Tribal Network prides itself on speaking fluent Towa to effectively provide service to all of Jemez Pueblo. 

Mohawk Networks LLC services the St. Regis Mohawk nation who, since 2008,  has worked to build the current Tribally owned and operated internet service provider. Mohawk Networks has moved to serve the community, offering affordable cost options, signing up over 500 people on Tribals lands for ACP,and most recently instituting a digital navigator, Brenda Cook. Cook knows the value of her role I will assist individuals in understanding how to utilize technology to their advantage, ensuring they have access to the internet and can maximize their digital experience… I think back to that first computer class, where it all began. It may have started with small, individual connections, but now, we are helping an entire community access the tools they need for a brighter future. And the best part is, this journey is just getting started.”

Sṕq́ńiʔ Broadband Services prepared a Broadband and Digital Equity Local Action Plan by asking community anchor institutions and essential service centers if their current connectivity impacted them. They found that many essential services and community organizations were all in need of better performing, more robust broadband. Those organizations and services include the Tribal Youth Center, Senior center, local schools, store locations, gas stations, Tribal government buildings, fire management buildings, natural resource buildings, health and human services, historical site and preservation collection buildings, public safety buildings (including EMS and police) and a health clinic. Their future goals include increasing public WI-FI, providing education on internet access, and creating a device distribution program.

We would especially like to thank our mentor group, made up of Indigenous practitioners from across the U.S., who provided insight into how we developed this program:

Monica Braine (Assiniboine and Sioux), Francis Goli (Shoshone-Bannock), Felix McGowan (Anishnaabe), Ernie Rasmussen (Oneida), Spencer Risenhoover (Cherokee), Mikhail Sundust (Gila River), Brittany Woods-Orrison (Koyukon Dené), Wayne Taylor (Hopi), Lisa Youvella (Hopi)

Please stay tuned as we continue to highlight the phenomenal digital inclusion work being done by these communities.