Osage Nation Leaders broke ground Monday on a project to bring faster internet speeds to people in Osage County.

The $55 million project will lay hundreds of miles of fiber optic cable and build 16 wi-fi towers across the county. This huge undertaking to bring better internet speeds to people in Osage County starts here in Pawhuska, at the Osage Nation Senior Housing Complex.

David Evans just moved here two months ago, and he says getting online is his way of connecting with people he cares about. 

"It is my access to my family, my access to my friends," Evans says.  

He says in places like Osage County, having a good internet connection is a luxury. That's why Osage Tribal leaders broke ground today on a project to bring high-speed internet across the county. 

"We have the potential of impacting virtually every resident in Osage County," says Dr. James Trumbly.

He’s the director of Wahzhazhe Connect, a new project to connect more people to better internet. 

"With this current project we're going to have fiber from Bartlesville all the way to Ponca City and from Pawhuska down to Hominy over to Skiatook to North Tulsa," he says. 

Trumbly says two federal grants totaling 54.5 million dollars will help build the infrastructure needed to give the Osage people something many people take for granted.  

"It's a scarce resource no question about it, and for us, this will hope to level the playing field," he says. 

Trumbly says the entire project will take UP TO 10 years to complete, but today they’re starting with bringing the internet to the residents of the senior housing complex, a job that will take about two months.

David Evans says he's eager to use the internet provided by the Osage. 

"I anticipate that my life here in the future, especially with this new internet connection will be as good as it's ever been frankly," he says. 

Evans says it will help everyone in his community who want to connect to people they love. 

Trumbly says this huge project will also help employ people throughout Osage County. Here’s more information from the Osage Nation on job opportunities:  

Applicants interested in joining the paid field technician training, please contact Tim Lookout in the Osage Nation Financial Assistance Department atfinancial-assist@osagenation-nsn.gov  

For additional job opportunities with Wahzhazhe Connect, visit www.osagenation-nsn.gov/job-opportunities.

For media and general inquiries, contact Russ Tallchief at russ.tallchief@osagenation-nsn.gov or visit https://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/services/wahzhazhe-connect and on Facebook @WahzhazheConnect