Tribes looking to increase internet connectivity

LAKE TRAVERSE RESERVATION, SD (KELO) – Neighborhoods on the Lake Traverse Reservation, home of the Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Tribe, look similar to communities elsewhere across the state. But unlike many other parts of South Dakota, the Internet connection here is far from stable.

“If I could explain it, I think it would be really tainted,” said Tribal Chairman J. Garret Renville. “I think where we are right now, where our administration building is, is not very good.”

Robert Hamblet of Texas, the founder of Wireless Laboratories who describes himself as a “friend of the tribe,” agrees.

“The fiber that’s in the ground today probably serves about 60% of the population,” Hamblet said. “He only serves their family, doesn’t he? It doesn’t make up for the lack of connectivity when traveling or when you’re mobile.”

The Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Tribe is working with the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe on a proposal seeking a federal grant to increase Internet connectivity.

“We’re partners with Crow Creek,” Renville said. “We used the same technical advisor, so that’s how the partnership came about.”

Hamblet is their advisor and says the impact of such technology is massive.

“The social value of this is huge,” Hamblet said. “There’s a lot of discussion about heritage and preserving their heritage and those values, and this is a possible technology for that.”

Renville says receiving the grant would mean adding about 16 broadband towers to the Lake Traverse Reservation.

“We’re looking to hopefully improve future telehealth potential health, economic development, agriculture, education, things of that nature,” Renville said.

“Telehealth is another big motivator for setting up this network,” Hamblet said. “Public safety is another.”

A visit to the doctor can be just a swipe or a tap away.

“Potentially, right, in healthcare, we can do telehealth from your cell phone,” Renville said.

This technology would affect everyone who calls this area home.

“Not just tribal members, again, right, because we talked about we’re a mixed community, so for the whole northeast corner of the state this is going to be extremely beneficial,” Renville said.

Even if you’re just traveling the stretch of Interstate 29 that runs through the reservation, you can feel the impact, too.

“There’s a chance your cell phone will ring from one of our towers, and so we’ll provide that connection,” Renville said.

Renville says that overall, about 20,000 people live on the Lake Traverse Reservation. He says he hopes the tribes will receive the grant.

“We got some communication and a little more context about our application process, and it sounded very positive,” Renville said. “They seemed excited.”

Internet access is undoubtedly a necessity today, but it will also be essential for generations to come. The point is made clear by seven portraits on the wall in Renville’s office. His portrait stands second from the right, two spots away from his grandson. And then four places to his left is his great-grandfather: all told, seven generations exposed.

“We always think about the seven generations and how decisions today will affect those children one day,” Renville said.