08/21/2026
A core tenant of NNWO’s mission is maintaining strong relationships with federal agencies, like the FCC.
In this case, NNWO brought a letter from President Nygren to the FCC inviting the Commissioners to visit Diné Bikéyah. NNWO staff on the broadband and infrastructure portfolio worked with the Office of Native Affairs and Policy (ONAP) at the FCC to coordinate the visit. NNWO and ONAP developed a comprehensive itinerary which included meetings and site visits to see how Navajo is utilizing grant funds awarded by the FCC.
𝗙𝗖𝗖 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗡𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗷𝗼 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗲𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱
For many Navajo families, reliable internet and cellular service can mean the difference between accessing an online class or driving miles for a connection, reaching healthcare services from home or traveling to another community, and having the ability to work and build a business on the Navajo Nation or looking elsewhere for opportunity.
This week, officials from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) visited the Navajo Nation to see those realities firsthand and learn how broadband infrastructure is being developed across one of the largest and most rural Tribal nations in the United States.
Navajo Nation President Nygren, the Navajo Nation Broadband Office and FCC representatives discussed the progress being made, the challenges that continue to slow deployment and the federal partnerships needed to bring reliable connectivity to more Navajo homes and communities.
“We want our Navajo people to live here, raise their families here and have opportunities here,” President Nygren said. “Reliable broadband is part of making that possible. Seeing towers go up and infrastructure being built is wonderful because every connection represents another opportunity for our people.”
Broadband is now essential infrastructure for Navajo communities, supporting education, healthcare, public safety, economic development, employment and communication. Yet many families continue to drive long distances or rely on connections near Chapter Houses, schools and businesses simply to get online.
The Navajo Nation is working to permanently change that reality.
Through the Navajo Nation Broadband Plan 2.0, the Nation has established a coordinated strategy for broadband development from 2025 through 2030. Rather than relying on disconnected projects, the plan looks at fiber, towers, wireless service, spectrum, public safety communications, Chapter connectivity and last-mile service as parts of one Navajo-wide network.
Progress is already reaching communities. In 2025, seven new towers were reported in San Juan, Nazlini, Many Farms, Pine Springs, Moncisco Mesa, Low Mountain and White Horse. Fiber deployment reached Navajo Mountain, Nazlini and Red Mesa, while 30 additional Chapters received new fiber construction, adding to 52 Chapters already connected. In Ramah, New Mexico, approximately 560 of 600 homes were connected to fiber.
The Navajo Nation has also advanced approximately $244.6 million in broadband infrastructure investments, representing one of the largest commitments toward connectivity in the Nation’s history. The goal is not simply to build more infrastructure, but to ensure those investments ultimately connect Navajo homes, schools, businesses, healthcare facilities, Chapter Houses and public safety operations.
President Nygren thanked the FCC delegation and the Navajo Nation Broadband Office for working directly with communities and seeing the challenges of broadband deployment on Navajo land firsthand.
“We have made tremendous progress, and that comes from people working together,” President Nygren said. “We have to keep that momentum going and make sure we set ourselves up for success. Our people deserve the same opportunity to connect, learn, work and communicate as anyone else in the country.”
For the Navajo Nation, closing the digital divide is ultimately about creating opportunity at home. Reliable connectivity can help a student complete schoolwork, allow a patient to access services, strengthen emergency communications, help a Navajo entrepreneur reach customers and give families more opportunities to remain in the communities they call home.
![Check out this post from our neighbors at the U.S. Capitol Historical Society about why DC is [almost] always so quiet t...](https://img4.govserv.org/364/966/1485042193649661.jpg)
