Tribal Leaders Digital Divide Summit Comments/Recommendations
November 16, 2000 

Access 

* The high cost of telecommunications must be addressed

* Provide incentives to businesses to provide services in Indian Country

* Information dissemination on the digital divide and technology must be increased

* Service quality must be improved

* The low service population provides a barrier to access

* Increased access means increased economic opportunity at home

* The Federal Communications Commission should allow tribes to determine income eligibility under the Lifeline/Link-Up programs

* Need to increase the opportunity for tribal-business partnerships

* The barriers to access the spectrum should be lowered, and tribes should have a portion of the spectrum reserved for their use

* Distance learning opportunities should be increased  

Economic Development 

* Need for feasibility studies

* Develop resource lists of business/contracting opportunities

* Increase technical assistance funding

* Develop model programs and success stories (maybe with the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development

* Develop suggestions for technology-based businesses

* Provide information on e-commerce

* Create a checklist on the steps needed to become connected to technology 

Sovereignty 

* Create a website that would "red flag wanna-be*s" and false websites

* Examine the ownership of cultural content

* Develop tribal codes to fine "pretenders"

* Establish a website that would show the legal and political infrastructure needed to protect sovereignty with respect to telecommunications

* Ask AOL-Time Warner-Time Warner to create a toll-free or local numbers for Indian Country

* The FCC should honor the government-to-government relationship by recognizing tribal telephone companies without state recognition

* The FCC should punish telephone companies that fail to offer Lifeline/Link-Up services

* Examine the ownership of airspace

* Establish a NCAI standing committee on telecommunications

* Educate federal officials

* All federal agencies, including the Patent and Trademark Office, should have an Indian policy in place

* Tribes should have right of first refusal on exclusive use of seal and name

Content 

* Develop technical assistance and funding for website creation

* Create a clearinghouse of model websites

* Provide awards to websites

* Increase access and training for web development software

* Provide information about legal and copyright issues

* Need information about creating traffic, security, and firewalls

* Assist with the development of tribal intranets

* Explore the creation of websites that would have one tier for tribal members and another tier for the general public

* Sites that coopt tribal identity