First Tribal Leaders Digital Divide Summit A Success

By all accounts, the first NCAI Tribal Leaders Digital Divide Summit, held November 16 in conjunction with the NCAI Annual Session in St. Paul, Minnesota, was a resounding success. Approximately 70 people representing tribal governments, tribal and non-Indian telecommunications companies, federal agencies, and non-profit organizations attended the four-hour Summit. 

Following opening remarks from NCAI President Susan Masten, Marcia Warren, Special Advisor to the Secretary of Commerce, provided an introduction to digital divide issues in Indian Country. Karen Buller, President of the National Indian Telecommunications Institute, explored current efforts to address the Digital Divide in Indian Country. Then, Albert Soatikee, Secretary of the Board of Gila River Telecommunications, Inc., and Victor Rocha, the founder and operator of Pechanga.net, discussed how they are using technology to spur economic development and to provide relevant information/advocacy tools. 

After the panel discussion, participants broke into smaller workgroups, where they had the opportunity to delve deeper into the following areas with the expert panelists: 

Each of the workgroups provided suggestions for additional Task Force study or implementation. These recommendations will form the basis for planning a second Tribal Leaders*s Summit in the spring, as well as the Task Force*s workplan for the remainder of the AOL Foundation grant period. NCAI will provide regular updates on their implementation, and, in the meantime, tribal leaders are strongly encouraged to contact NCAI with comments and suggestions.