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US grants Navajo Nation authority to use unassigned airwaves

Posted at 12:21 PM, Apr 18, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-18 15:21:29-04

PHOENIX (AP) — The federal government is giving the Navajo Nation temporary authority to use unassigned airwaves to provide wireless broadband service.

The Federal Communications Commission on Friday granted the requested authority for 60 days to help the tribe's emergency response to the coronavirus outbreak.

The commission says the authority should help the tribe as reservation residents work from home and increasingly rely on telemedicine and remote learning.

Many residents in remote areas without broadband service sit in vehicles parked near local government centers, fast-food restaurants and grocery stores to connect to Wi-Fi.