YTEL and the CPUC Work Together to Build Tribal Broadband Connectivity

Yurok tribal citizen Georgiana Gensaw is a project manager for Yurok Telecommunications Corporation (YTEL) and oversees fiber deployment and upkeep for hundreds of miles of broadband on the Yurok Tribe’s ancestral lands. She feels a sense of pride knowing her work provides better internet connectivity for her tribal community after growing up on the reservation in the remote community of Pecwan on the Klamath River, located 35 miles inland from the coast.

“We didn’t have any electricity. We rode a bus for an hour and a half each way to school and switched buses twice. We certainly didn’t have internet if we didn’t have electricity. And so that made everything much harder.
Now we have had electricity for 16 years and just that alone has been transformative for the reservation. Ten years ago, people started getting satellite internet, which was really cost prohibitive for most people, pushing internet out of a lot of people’s means. So, the goal of YTEL is to not only to bring faster and better internet to our people, our elders and other citizens on the reservation, but to bring it at an affordable price,” said Gensaw.  

Yurok Citizen and YTEL Project Manager Georgiana Gensaw

The Yurok Tribe in Northwestern California is in one of the most digitally disadvantaged regions in California. The vast remoteness, small population, and affordability challenges have caused barriers to establishing a long-term telecommunications provider on the reservation and surrounding Del Norte County. 

CPUC Funding Supports Tribal-Owned Broadband

That’s one reason the Yurok Tribe created its own network. YTEL broadband services support tribal residents, businesses, non-profits, government campus, schools, and surrounding communities in the region.

One of its projects is the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)-funded Last Mile Federal Funding Account Fiber-to-Home project, which is one of the tribe’s largest YTEL broadband projects spanning 120 square miles from the Klamath and Requa region on the coast in Del Norte County to Orick in Humboldt County. The project will benefit 2,491 people, some of which have never had internet. The Last Mile is the final stretch of fiber that brings internet to people’s homes, businesses, and anchor institutions, and connects to the Middle Mile, the state’s broadband backbone.

The CPUC also supported the Yurok Connect Broadband Project by providing funding for the 150-foot Wautec tower. The initiative focused on updating tower sites and infrastructure to increase internet speeds on the reservation and improve overall public safety. 

“For me, to be involved in telecommunications, is bringing the Yurok Tribe into the 21st Century while also providing services for people in Del Norte and Humboldt Counties. We are creating this environment that’s inclusive of everybody which is pretty exciting to be part of.
The Yurok Tribe knows its history and is not afraid to make history. This is another component where the Yurok Tribe is saying we are willing, we are able, and we will make history,” said Anthony Trombetti Yurok tribal citizen and YTEL Orick Warehouse Clerk. 

Broadband deployment in Humboldt County led by YTEL and the Yurok Tribe.

Closing the Digital Divide

With CPUC funding, tribes are filling connectivity gaps on their own lands and building the critical infrastructure that sustains regional broadband systems. 

For the Yurok Tribe, the greater need for broadband became more apparent during COVID-19 when the tribe declared a state of emergency and closed the reservation. The lack of reliable phone and internet service across a substantial portion of the reservation highlighted the need for enhanced telecommunications infrastructure, enabling tribal families to maintain connections, participate in telehealth appointments, and work remotely or attend school virtually while observing public health guidelines. 

In response to the pandemic, Executive Order N-73-20 was set into motion to improve digital connectivity in the state. 

“The Yurok Tribe’s partnership with the California Public Utilities Commission is an excellent example of how tribes are working with the state to build much-needed infrastructure that benefits rural residents and businesses. The CPUC’s investment in our last-mile project will have a profoundly positive impact on our community, creating new opportunities for education, economic growth, and access to healthcare,” said Yurok Tribal Chairman Joseph James.  

Partnerships making a difference

The Yurok Telecommunications Corporation and its broadband projects are a successful example of state and tribal entities, consultants, and industry experts working together to improve connectivity. The initiative shows how Native American Tribes are leading on telecommunications projects in rural areas with the support of the CPUC and state.

Through broadband deployment, the CPUC aims to:

• Partner with tribal governments to spur economic development on tribal lands and advancing digital equity
• Hold tribal consultations to hear tribal government perspectives, needs, and concerns
• Collaborate to address utility challenges faced by tribal communities by supporting tribal-owned telecommunication builds

YTEL sign in Orick spreading awareness about broadband projects.

The benefit of broadband deployment goes beyond connectivity. YTEL successfully employs 25 people at competitive wages while supporting sub-contractors, small businesses, and tribal entities. Yurok citizen and YTEL employee Anthony Trombetti sees job growth and economic opportunities in the surrounding region.

“When the first tower got erected, I looked at it and thought I touched every piece of that. There is some personal gratification in doing this work and completing it with tribal members, and watching young people step into these positions with the courage that is needed to do this work. They are gaining knowledge, experience, and expertise to broaden their marketability,” said Trombetti.

“YTEL is grateful to have the CPUC as partners.
There are several intricate things about being Yurok, Hoopa, Karuk, and Tolowa that set us apart and make us different that our partners have been very eager to meet us at the table and want to learn. When we are talking to our engineers about a design plan, we have to remind them we can’t get too close to the redwoods. Yuroks believe redwoods are a living thing. When we transform them into canoes and homes they become living beings with a spirit,” Gensaw said.

YTEL and construction crews working on broadband deployment.    

By Andrea Marvin, Public Information Officer