The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (FDL) proposes a RUS Community-Oriented Broadband Connectivity project titled, Fond du Lac Last Mile Community Connect Project – Big Lake (CC3) to create a high speed broadband Internet system for unserved homes and critical services in Carlton County communities located on the Fond du Lac Reservation. The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, applicant and fiscal agent, will administer the grant funds for a fiber-to-home build. Two years of free Internet service will be provided to all critical public safety services. End-user equipment will be provided for the individual homes and community properties. The project will improve access to critical businesses, education, public safety services, and households currently lacking broadband services. The project will stimulate the demand for broadband, economic growth, and job creation.
The Big Lake CC3 last mile project PFSA are unserved areas on the Fond du Lac Reservation located about 25 miles southwest of Duluth. The jurisdictional area of the Reservation boundaries is 101,000 acres with about 22,000 acres in trust. According to the 2013 U.S. Census estimates, there is a population of 4,126 who reside within the boundaries of the Reservation and Trust Land, which is comprised of three districts: Cloquet, Sawyer, and Brookston. The largest community on the Reservation is the city of Cloquet, although only the relatively sparsely populated western half of the city is on Reservation land; that part has a population of 1,204 persons out of the city’s total of 11,201. The Big Lake CC3 communities are located in Carlton County on the Fond du Lac Reservation and include Perch Lake Township, Sawyer and Cloquet. Sawyer and Cloquet serve as two of three administrative centers of the Reservation.