West River Eagle

CRSTTA: 60 years of service



This year the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Telephone Authority celebrates 60 years of providing telecommunication services.

CRSTTA became the nation’s first tribally owned and operated telephone authority after the Tribe purchased a privately-owned telephone company from the Harding family in 1958. Since its inception, eight tribes have followed suit and established their own telecommunication companies.

From 1958 to the early 1970’s, CRSTTA service was limited and always at the mercy of mother nature, leaving many rural residences without telephone service.

This changed in 1977, after the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe became the first tribal nation to borrow from the Rural Electrification Administration. CRSTTA used funds to construct a new telephone plant, upgrade switching equipment, and purchase service vehicles and construction equipment.

A new company building was also constructed in Eagle Butte, which became the authority’s headquarters. These upgrades launched a new era of communication for Cheyenne River- rural homes now had phones and families were more easily connected.

In 2016, the authority completed installation of over 1,450 miles of fiber optics after years of diligent work with the “Fiber to the home” project. New fiber optics resulted in upgraded and faster phone and internet service.

Earlier this year, the authority launched Skitter TV, the latest internet-protocol television service, which is different than satellite TV service and is not affected by weather conditions. Families on Cheyenne River now have the capability to live stream TV without the worry of overcasts or dreary weather.

Recently, with community support, the authority began seeking regulatory approval to install fiber optics in Timber Lake, a community which has historically been serviced by an outside telephone company.

Today, the authority provides service to over 2,600 subscribers in 20 communities and five phone exchanges throughout Cheyenne River.

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