Without reliable internet, it’s tough for veterans to apply for and access financial and health benefits, including mental care. But a Phoenix-based company and an Arizona state agency are partnering to help better equip those living on reservations through a tribal connectivity project called, “Roger That.”
So far, Janice Talas-Denny, who is Hopi and works for the telehealth company Televeda, has delivered 16 military-grade kits containing Starlink satellite internet systems – at no cost – to nearly a dozen tribes scattered across Arizona beginning earlier this year in Parker with the Colorado River Indian Tribes.
The state agency bought the devices, while Televeda was contracted to distribute them to American Legions, VFW posts and veteran offices. Since then, some of the most remote reservations and their populations, like Navajos, Hopis and Apaches, have benefitted from the technology developed by Elon Musk’s Space X.
Talas-Denny’s latest stop, New Pascua, is just on the outskirts of Tucson.
“If I can do this, anyone can do this,” she said on Oct. 2. “When I first started doing this project, it was a little difficult because I’m not very tech-savvy myself. I’ve learned along the way. It’s a hot day today. We don’t want to be out here too long, so I try to make the setup quick, easy and and as effective as possible.”
Fortunately, it takes only 10 minutes, she says, for the satellite hookup once they figure out which direction is north. Along with her is Dylan Dalzotto, assistant deputy director for public and intergovernmental affairs at the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services.
“This is a tool. They don’t have to pen and paper it, they could connect right there and start the process,” said Dalzotto. “Let’s start with 50 of them, see where it goes and here we are rather quickly, excited to get the rest of them out there. A big roadblock for a lot of vets is the internet connectivity.”
Especially on tribal lands, where rates of broadband access lag behind the rest of the nation. The latest available U.S. Census data, from 2021, indicated that less than 70% of tribal households in Arizona were connected compared to 88% of all households statewide.
It’s also a pervasive problem for the rest of Indian Country.
A nationwide survey published in 2019 by Arizona State University’s Institute of American Indian Policy found that a third of respondents relied on smartphones for internet access – while almost a fifth of reservation residents lacked any internet connection at home.
Those trends apply to many Pascua Yaquis residing around the Tucson metropolitan area, according to Carmen Rivera. As the tribe’s veterans benefits counselor, she often travels off the beaten path – even to the Mexico border – meeting with tribal members living off-grid.
“And when you give them, you know, information, whether it be off this system, or you give it to them in paper, they like that,” said Rivera. “It’s valuable to make them aware, keep them connected.”
Part of Televeda’s goal in bringing more internet is to help combat high rates of suicide.
American Indians and Alaska Natives had the second-highest veteran suicide rate by race in 2022, according to the National Veteran Suicide Prevention annual report released in 2024.
The highest was among veterans who identify as mixed race.
The report also stated that suicide rates for Native Americans receiving care from the Veterans Health Administration went up by 7.8% in 2022. And the previous rate of 46.3 suicides per 100,000 veterans in 2021 was the highest by race that year.
That’s why the VA awarded a $3 million grant in 2023 for Televeda’s Project Hózhó to develop a holistic and culturally sensitive suicide prevention program tailored to tribal veterans.
Hózhó is a Navajo word essentially meaning beauty and balance.
Part of their programming included the “Hero’s Story,” which was launched on the Navajo Nation during Memorial Day weekend in 2024. As part of that pilot, Televeda says almost 300 veterans utilized the platform.
Because of the new Starlinks, even more vets throughout the Grand Canyon State can now participate in Televeda’s free service along with their online and in-person Talking Circles – but are not required to – where veterans connect with peer support groups, traditional resources and additional virtual benefits.
Before the most recent October install at New Pascua, tribes went through “just shy of a terabyte – 895 gigabytes” during the month of September, according to Dalzotto, suggesting it’s a sign the Starlinks are “being active and being used.”
If you need help
Those in need – regardless of whether they’re enrolled in VA benefits – may contact the Veterans Crisis Line to receive free, confidential support 24/7 by dialing 1-800-273-8255 and pressing 1, texting 838255 or visiting VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat.
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