Tribal Net 2026 gets under way in earnest today in Dallas, Texas. The conference brings together IT leaders from the Native American government, gaming, and health technology community, to explore cutting-edge technologies and leadership strategies to build sustainable growth and success for Tribes.
“Today, Tribes nationwide are prioritizing strategic technology investments to strengthen sovereignty and service delivery,” shared Michael Day, CEO of TribalHub. Tribes are looking to invest across a range of technologies to support Tribal needs, including telehealth and cybersecurity, but most impactful of all is investing at the foundation of IT success, network infrastructure.
“Infrastructure is always the foundation on which all other IT investments depend,” added Christopher M. Abel, CIO and Director of IT, Citizen of the Potawatomi Nation, and TribalNet Government and Services Advisory Board Member. “Without the networking infrastructure, there is no connectivity to internal or external resources, especially those hosted onsite for the Tribes and on which cybersecurity and AI rely.”
While Tribal IT leaders have the vision and the plans well in hand, the biggest challenge remains funding. “Federal funding is essential for deploying and modernizing infrastructure on Tribal lands,” shared John W. Miller, TribalNet Government & Member Services Advisory Board member and IT Director, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. “Programs like USDA ReConnect and the NTIA Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program offer critical support, with ReConnect providing 100 percent grants for eligible Tribal areas without local matching funds. However, applying for these grants demands extensive administrative capacity, including complex engineering, environmental reviews, and long-term financial projections.”
Intensive resource usage to deliver successful grant applications isn’t the only funding challenge Tribes face in identifying funds to support infrastructure development. “Existing federal frameworks often clash with Tribal operational realities, making advocacy from the National Tribal Telecommunications Association (NTTA) vital,” Miller added. “Current grant models focus heavily on initial buildout while failing to cover long-term costs such as cybersecurity, staffing, maintenance, and equipment replacement. To meaningfully close the digital divide, federal policy must shift toward predictable direct funding, honor Tribal mapping data, streamline administrative hurdles, and support the entire network lifecycle from construction to ongoing maintenance.”
Despite these obstacles, Tribes continue to invest in network infrastructure, and IT to deliver reliable and secure connectivity to their members. Not only does this benefit individual citizens to meet their healthcare needs and education goals, but it’s also a fundamental part of economic and workforce development. From the Navajo Nation’s Tier 3 Data Center, which supports citizens not only with new revenue sources, but also with workforce development opportunities, to a robust fiber backbone that’s destined to enable remote work, connects artisans to a global marketplace, and will fuel the expansion of gaming and other commercial enterprises, technology investments are creating a digital foundation for the empowerment of Native American Tribes, securing their self-determination.
Tribal Net 2026 is just part of a long history and wealth of events to help Native American Tribes and Alaska Native communities take bold steps towards a secure sovereign future through IT. “For more than 25 years, TribalHub has provided a collaborative network where IT professionals, cybersecurity teams, and executives from Tribal Nations share knowledge, access educational resources, evaluate technology solutions, and connect through events to help modernize Tribal technology and infrastructure,” concluded TribalHub CEO Michael Day. “Each initiative and event gives Tribal technology leaders the tools, research, security insights, and community connections needed to optimize operations and protect critical infrastructure across Indian Country.”
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