50 Navajo Schools and Libraries Soon to Get High Speed Internet thanks to FAST-41
Contact Information
Permitting Council Press Office (media@permitting.gov)
WASHINGTON (November 12, 2026) – Pre-schools and libraries on Navajo Nation land will soon get access to critically needed broadband, after completing federal permitting for this project under FAST-41 project management with the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council). The $37 million Navajo Nation Department of Education E-Rate Funded Broadband Project will bring high-speed internet connectivity to Native Communities in New Mexico, benefiting residents in one of the most remote areas in the U.S.
“This project will bring gigabit internet to 17 Head Start programs and 33 libraries in one of the hardest places in America to build,” said Emily Domenech, Permitting Council Executive Director. “Under President Trump, the federal government is working side by side with Tribal Nations to build infrastructure where it is needed most, and ensure federal permitting is not an impediment to economic growth in rural and Tribal communities.”
The project will construct 323 miles of middle mile fiber optic network, connecting 17 Head Start programs and 33 libraries with high-speed internet connectivity. The fiber route crosses northwestern New Mexico, part of the Navajo Nation and one of the most remote areas in the country for broadband deployment.. The availability of affordable and scalable broadband access will be a turning point for Tribal members across 11 Navajo communities.
This project was sponsored by the Navajo Nation Broadband Office and the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs served as the lead federal permitting agency. This is the fifth Tribal project to complete permitting under FAST-41. It was added to the FAST-41 Permitting Dashboard under a special provision created by Congress for tribal projects, allowing them to participate as a FAST-41 covered project without meeting the traditional $200 million investment threshold.
Learn more about the Navajo Nation Department of Education E-Rate Funded Broadband Project on the Federal Permitting Dashboard.
About the Permitting Council and FAST-41
Established in 2015 by Title 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41), the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) is a federal agency charged with improving the transparency and predictability of the federal environmental review and authorization process for certain critical infrastructure projects. The Permitting Council is composed of the Permitting Council Executive Director, who serves as the Council Chair; 13 federal agency Council members; and the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. The Office of the Executive Director coordinates federal environmental reviews and authorizations for projects that seek and qualify for FAST-41 coverage, which are in turn entitled to comprehensive permitting timetables and transparent, collaborative management of those timetables on the Federal Permitting Dashboard.
Learn more about the Permitting Council at permitting.gov.
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Last Updated: Thursday, November 12, 2026