Wednesday, Jun 8 2011 8:06AM
The Hopi Nation will receive broadband internet connection as part of a five-year project.
Of the numerous Native American tribes spread throughout Arizona, the Hopi Nation may be the most difficult to modernize, a report by RCR Wireless News states.
Mark Goldstein, president of the International Research Center in Tempe, advises many tribes in the state regarding technology, mainly wireless communications.
One tribe in particular Goldstein consults with, and is attempting to modernize, is the Hopi Nation. The northeast Arizona tribal nation, which has 8,000 members, has no water or sewage infrastructure and limited telecommunications resources, Goldstein told the source.
The tribe received a grant of more than $2 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Authority to gain broadband access, according to the source. That project has since been contracted out and is in progress.
While the tribe will receive internet access through the broadband installation, other issues remain, as some villages still have no access to water infrastructure or electricity, Goldstein stated.