The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians in Santa Barbara County has a history of building and securing essential infrastructure for its community, including water, wastewater treatment, and now broadband internet. The tribe’s approach to development emphasizes long-term sustainability and partnerships.
In 1969, the tribe raised funds to bring running water to their reservation. By 2000, they established a wastewater treatment plant aimed at conserving water resources. These projects are part of a broader effort focused on environmental stewardship and cultural preservation.
Currently, reliable internet access remains a challenge for many tribal residents. Chairman Kenneth Kahn described having to pull over by the roadside to make phone calls due to poor cell service. He noted that many Chumash residents also struggle with online connectivity.
To address this issue, the tribe is developing the Chumash Fiber Network with support from the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) Last Mile Federal Funding Account program. This initiative provides up to $4.7 million for building and operating fiber-optic internet infrastructure in Santa Barbara County. The network will connect about 400 locations and serve approximately 853 people with high-speed internet at an affordable rate of $40 per month.
Kahn reflected on the tribe’s philosophy regarding long-term planning: “Let me see, 13,000 years divided by how many generations?” He explained that this perspective guides their work on infrastructure projects and self-governance.
In addition to utility improvements, the tribe is developing educational and cultural resources such as a museum opened in May 2025 and housing developments on Camp 4 land acquired through federal legislation in 2019. Tribal members have expressed interest in signing up for the new fiber internet service as soon as it becomes available.
The Chumash have pursued partnerships with organizations such as the National Congress of American Indians and regional tribal alliances while coordinating with local governments. These collaborations led to other grants—for example, $1.4 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for an eight-mile bike path connecting the reservation with neighboring communities.
For broadband expansion specifically, partnerships between state agencies and local efforts allow cost-sharing while ensuring tribal control over services delivered to members.
“You have companies that come in, interest groups that come in, and they develop relationships for now. We develop relationships for now, tomorrow, and the future,” said Chairman Kenneth Kahn.
A key moment occurred during a California Tribal Roundtable meeting in 2021 when participants discussed ongoing issues related to reliable internet access on tribal lands. Following this discussion, technical assistance grants from national programs like the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program supported network engineering efforts while CPUC funding helped with strategic planning.
Wildfire risk has shaped much of the tribe’s recent infrastructure planning; after fire destroyed aerial fiber lines during game one of the 2024 World Series—impacting connectivity across parts of Santa Ynez Valley—the importance of underground cabling became clear. The Chumash Casino Resort served as an emergency hub due to its redundant systems during that event.
Kahn shared how these challenges affect daily life: “…sometimes I’ve got to turn the camera off because I just don’t have bandwidth.”
The CPUC awarded up to $4.7 million for this project through Resolution T-17833 on August 22, 2024; details can be found on their Federal Funding Account Awards Map (https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/internet-and-phone/broadband-implementation-for-california/federal-funding-account-awards-map). The project covers six square miles using passive optical network technology capable of providing symmetrical speeds up to five gigabits per second (https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/internet-and-phone/broadband-implementation-for-california/federal-funding-account).
Planning support came from both state-level Tribal Technical Assistance grants (https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/internet-and-phone/broadband-implementation-for-california/tribal-broadband-resources) and national programs such as those funded by NTIA (https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/resources/grant-programs/tribal-broadband-connectivity-program).
The Santa Ynez Band continues investing in infrastructure improvements intended not only for current needs but also future generations.
