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More than 50 tribal leaders,
industry representatives, and federal officials participated in
NCAI's second Digital Divide Summit on May 15. The group was joined
by Roderick Porter, Chief of the Federal Communications Commission's
Common Carrier Bureau, who had the opportunity to hear the concerns
and views of Indian Country an informal and in-depth setting. Following
opening remarks from NCAI President Susan Masten, attendees explored
a wide range of technology issues, including:
Increasing Access to
Technology
Irene Flannery, Vice
President for the High Cost and Low-Income Division of the Universal
Service Administrative Company, spoke about the Lifeline and
Link-Up programs, both of which can subsidize telephone service
for income-eligible individuals living on reservations. She indicated
that the FCC will be examining eligibility issues affecting Lifeline
in the future and said that NCAI will be notified about the comment
period.
Robin Fohrenkam, a Director for Gila River Telecommunications, Inc., discussed
his Tribe's efforts to promote Lifeline and Link-Up, which have
to date only seen limited deployment in Indian Country. Mr. Fohrenkam
also spoke about the emerging tribal telecommunications industry
and the creation of tribally-owned telecommunications companies.
Providing Technology-Based
Education and Training To Tribal Members
Tina Hone, Vice
President for Public Policy, PowerUp, spoke about her organization's
efforts in Indian Country. PowerUP works with schools, community
centers and other locations across the country, to provide underserved
young people with access to the wide range of content and information
on the Internet. Launched in November, 1999, it is comprised
of dozens of non-profit organizations, major corporations and
state and federal government agencies.
John McCoy, Director
of Government Affairs for the Tulalip Tribes, discussed
his Tribe's Technology Leap Initiative, which is a regional
partnership with the University of Washington and Everett Community
College that is designed to build the Tribe=s technology infrastructure
while providing technology education to triba members.
Exercising Tribal
Sovereignty Through Technology Policy
Geoffrey Blackwell,
Attorney Advisor to the Federal Communications Commission,
spoke about the FCC's government-to-government policy and its
Indian Country initiatives. More information can be found online
at www.fcc.gov/indians.
Karen Buller, President and CEO of the National
Indian Telecommunications Institute, engaged participants in
a discussion about the "Do's and Don'ts" of doing
business in Indian Country in order to refine a presentation
that she was scheduled to give to industry representatives at
an upcoming FCC conference.
Kade Twist, Policy Associate, Benton Foundation,
spoke about the need to express tribal interests through telecommunications
policy, both internally and externally.
Using Technology As
An Economic Development Vehicle
Earl Evans, a
former tribal development specialist for HUD's Office of Native
American Programs, described Native eDGE (economic Development
Guidance and Empowerment), which is an interagency initiative
to facilitate sustainable economic development within American
Indian and Alaska Native communities. It includes a telephone
call center, a publications clearinghouse, this web site, and
a technical assistance information center. The web site links
seventeen federal agencies, educational institutions, and organizations
through a single portal so that tribes, Native Americans, lending
institutions, and private businesses can collaborate to promote
economic growth.
Brian King of Harvard University's Native American Program, discussed
how tribes can use technology to achieve economic development
goals.
Developing Indian
Content on the Internet
Valerie Fast Horse,
Council Member, Coeur d'Alene Tribe, spoke about how her Tribe
has used its website to define its message to non-Indians and how
the Internet can be used to educate the public about tribal governments.
Victor Rocha, Pechanga.net,
and Acee Agoyo, Indianz.com, two pioneers in the development
of Indian-specific content, discussed how they have harnessed technology
to provide useful and timely information to Indian Country.
Downloadable Materials:
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