FCC PROPOSES CREATION OF MOBILITY FUND TO CLOSE GAP IN MOBILE WIRELESS ACCESS INCLUDING TRIBAL LAND SUPPORT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                         NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
October 14, 2010                                            Matthew Nodine, 202-418-1646
Matthew.Nodine@fcc.gov

FCC PROPOSES CREATION OF MOBILITY FUND TO CLOSE GAP IN MOBILE WIRELESS ACCESS

Washington, D.C. – Today the Federal Communications Commission took another step in its overall reform of the Universal Service Fund (USF) by proposing the creation of a new Mobility Fund.  This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), consistent with a key recommendation of the National Broadband Plan, will provide one-time support to accelerate our nation’s ongoing efforts to close gaps in mobile wireless service.

Mobile wireless providers have expanded and upgraded their networks so that third generation, or “3G,” services are now widely available.  But despite providers’ efforts, millions of Americans still live, work, and travel in areas where these advanced services are unavailable.  The Mobility Fund proposed in this NPRM will help improve coverage in these areas for current-generation or better mobile wireless service, which may include 4G mobile broadband service.

The NPRM proposes to support the Mobility Fund using a portion of USF funding voluntarily relinquished by Verizon Wireless and Sprint. Those funds had been helping support service in areas that, at least in some cases, were being served by other mobile carriers.  Under the Mobility Fund, a portion of these funds will instead be distributed on a one-time basis using a market-based mechanism to target consumers in areas without advanced mobile services, ensuring that America gets the most bang for the USF buck.
The NPRM proposes:

·         To use $100 million to $300 million from the USF to create the Mobility Fund.

·         To identify the areas unserved by 3G mobile wireless services.

·         To use a reverse auction – in which the potential providers of services in identified areas without 3G service compete for support from the Mobility Fund by proposing the lowest amount of USF support they would require to serve areas that are currently unserved – to determine which providers get support, which specific geographic areas will receive support, and at what levels.

The NPRM also seeks comment on:

·         Whether to make support available to any unserved area in the nation or to target support by making it available in a limited set of unserved areas.

·         Minimum performance and coverage requirements that should be established for the service to be supported by the Mobility Fund.

Action by the Commission October 14, 2010, by Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FCC 10-182).   Chairman Genachowski, Commissioners Copps, McDowell, Clyburn, and Baker.  Separate statements issued by Chairman Genachowski, Commissioners Copps, McDowell, Clyburn, and Baker.

Docket No. 10-208.

For further information, contact Erik Salovaara (202-418-7582; Erik.Salovaara@fcc.gov).

-FCC-

Note: The NPRM includes the following regarding Mobility Fund support on Tribal lands:

Targeting Tribal Areas

We seek comment on whether we should reserve funds for developing a Mobility Fund support program targeted separately to Tribal lands that trail national 3G coverage rates.  Communities on Tribal lands have historically had less access to telecommunications services than any other segment of the population.  Available data illustrates that less than ten percent of residents on Tribal lands have access to broadband.  Also, Tribal lands are often in rural, high-cost areas, and present distinct connectivity challenges.  As a result, the National Broadband Plan noted that Tribes need substantially greater financial support than is presently available to them, and accelerating Tribal broadband will require increased funding.  W have recognized that Tribes are inherently sovereign governments that enjoy a unique relationship with the federal government.  In turn, we have reaffirmed our policy to promote a government-to-government relationship between the FCC and federally-recognized Indian tribes.   Because this relationship warrants a tailored approach that takes into consideration the unique characteristics of Tribal lands,  we believe addressing Mobility Fund support for Tribal lands on a separate track will be beneficial in providing adequate time to coordinate with American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Village governments and seek their input.

Facing Race Conference Highlight

The Facing Race 2010 Conference in Chicago, held in September, was such a fun event!  I would like to thank the Center for Media Justice for inviting me to speak at this esteemed conference.

In this picture I am joined by Joe Torres of Free Press and Chance Williams of the Media and Democracy Coalition. We were all wearing t-shirts supporting the new organization Latinos for Internet Freedom because FCC Commissioner Clyburn was speaking (see a video of her speech here). Of course we were in the front row, so she could see us and we all know her now, so the point was taken!

RUS WANTS TO HEAR AND LEARN FROM TRIBAL LEADERS

Utilities Service: Substantially Underserved Trust Areas (SUTA) Initiative and Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households (SEARCH) Program Webinar/Teleconference

Wednesday, October 20, 2010 – 3:00 to 5:00 pm EDT

RUS WANTS TO HEAR AND LEARN FROM TRIBAL LEADERS

Please join us to learn more about RUS loan & grant opportunities for utilities on tribal lands, as well as provide us with your thoughts and ideas. If you are unable to access the on-line webinar, you can still participate as a conference call participant.

The United States Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity provider, lender, and employer.

Audio Conference Directions

Telephone conferencing use the information below to connect:

Toll-free: +1 (800) 857-5051
LiveMeeting Directions
Go to: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/aglearn/join?id=33657H&role=attend

1. Enter your name and email address
2. Click “Join Now”
3. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen
4. Please note you will also need to call into the audio portion of the session using the 800 number above
For more information about Rural Utilities Service programs visit: www.rurdev.usda.gov/Utilities_Assistance.html

Implementation of the SUTA Initiative will allow RUS to provide loans at lower interest rates with longer repayment terms, provide priority for grants and waive certain restrictions for projects on Substantially Underserved Trust Areas.
www.rurdev.usda.gov/suta.html

Questions?
Please contact Tedd Buelow with questions via phone or email at: 202-690-1681 or Tedd.Buelow@wdc.usda.gov

Facing Race Conference Highlights

The 2010 Biannual Facing Race national conference, held September 23-25 in Chicago, was both invigorating and inspiring.  Presented by the Applied Research Center (ARC), the Facing Race Conference is a national event bringing together everyone from grassroots organizers to activists to academics to discuss race and politics.  This year’s event included multiple films, live music, multimedia presentations, spoken word and poetry, and national level speakers.

Read more of this post

Tribal lands and the FCC White Spaces Order

Yesterday the FCC released its final decision on White Spaces (9/23/2010). The approved a proposal opens vast amounts of unused broadcast television airwaves for high-speed wireless broadband networks and other unlicensed applications.

Below are Selected quotes from Matthew Rantanan at the Southern California Tribal Digital Village.

“White Spaces Spectrum is going to finally be released to use for unlicensed. The Unanimous vote (5-0) in 2008 got the ball rolling with all of our hard efforts, and now another vote on how to govern the spectrum is pretty much a victory. It lets us use this invaluable airspace to get Internet to tribal homes in remote, geographically impossible to reach situations. All those folks on reservations like Campo, Santa Ysabel, Mesa Grande(SY Tract II), they all now have technology that will broadcast through trees and spread out areas that are nightmarish to hit with traditional unlicensed spectrum.

I’m very happy that the work that TDV has done has gotten noticed and even mentioned by one of the commissioners in their official statement about the spectrum decision.
All that hard work pays off.

Here is the press release that announces the decision.
http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2010/db0923/DOC-301650A1.pdf

Here is Commissioner Mignon Clyburn’s Official statement that includes mention of Tribal Digital Village in the second paragraph.
(This is directly from our “petition for reconsideration” and the meeting I attended in DC at the Commission where we discussed this with all 5 commissioners.
http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2010/db0923/FCC-10-174A5.pdf

Congratulations to all community wireless networks out there and especially tribes, this is a big step!”

Tribal Consultations on Telecommunications Held in Arizona

August 31, 2010 was a busy day for Tribal consultations in Arizona.  In the morning, the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona hosted the USDA Rural Development Tribal Consultation at the Heard Museum and in the afternoon, the National Tribal Telecommunications Association (NTTA) held their quarterly meeting at Wild Horse Pass.

The USDA Rural Development Tribal Consultation Meeting was regarding the Substantially Underserved Trust Area (SUTA) Provision of the 2008 Farm Bill.  This facilitated two-hour consultation included Rural Development representative, Alan Stephens, the Arizona State Director and a representative from the Rural Utilities Service, Jessica Zufolo from Washington. It was a packed house, with more participants than expected.  Even though it was an Arizona tribal consultation, there was one tribal member from Cheyenne River who came for the consultation.

After an overview of rules and services, the dialogue ensued. Interestingly, while RUS deals with rural electric, water and waste disposal, telecommunications infrastructure, and distance learning and telemedicine, the topic of concern and the most discussion was broadband connectivity.  It is clear, that tribes are extremely interested and concerned about telecommunications infrastructure and access to the internet for their respective communities. The discussions just kept leading back to this issue; there was little reference to the other areas that the SUTA provisions cover.

This consultation was structured primarily as a listening session and there was a court reporter taking detailed notes. The notes on this consultation should be posted here in the near future.

The afternoon meeting was the opening session of the NTTA Quarterly Meetings. This well attended meeting was also focused on telecommunications.  The majority of the afternoon included a presentation and listening session with the new FCC Office of Native Affairs and Policy.  The Bureau Chief of this office, Geoffrey Blackwell, was joined by several members of his staff.  Blackwell gave a thorough overview of the tasks that his office will undertake. He also asked for input on how to reshape the Indian Telecommunications Initiative and make these yearly meetings more interactive.  This office promises to create two-way communications and dialogue with Indian country.

As a part of this FCC listening session, the NTTA presented information to the FCC.  NTTA’s primary issues include regulatory reform, the creation of a Tribal Broadband Fund, Tribal infrastructure and broadband access, DTV Transition results, and building Tribal policy participation in Washington D.C.

The NTTA Quarterly Meeting continued on through Wednesday September 1^st. This day was primarily spent discussing NTTA business.

Future of the Internet Public Hearing with Tribal Input

Save the Date: Thursday, Aug. 19, 2010, 6 p.m.

Future of the Internet Public Hearing

On August 19, Free Press, Main Street Project and the Center for Media Justice are co-hosting a public hearing on the Future of the Internet. This important hearing is a valuable opportunity for those outside of Washington to share their ideas, experiences and concerns with the FCC.

The hearing will feature two public interest champions, FCC Commissioners Michael Copps and Mignon Clyburn. Deliver your message directly to the commissioners and encourage them to bring it back to Washington.

The debate over the future of the Internet in America is at a critical juncture. On one side are the millions of people who have seen the Internet become a vital part of their daily routine. They’ve contacted elected officials and regulators demanding that Washington protect the open Internet and foster universal broadband access and adoption for all Americans.

On the other is a lobbying juggernaut that seeks to destroy this openness so that phone and cable companies can rebuild the Internet as a gated community that pads their bottom line.

The world is changing, and increasingly, having access to the Internet and knowing how to use it determine who stands to benefit from the new economy, and who is left behind.

They’ve had their say inside the Beltway, but the FCC needs to hear from the rest of us. Join us on Aug. 19, 2010, at a hearing to urge the FCC to protect Internet users, pass real Net Neutrality rules, and connect everyone to fast, affordable broadband service.

Location: South High School Auditorium, 3131 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN

Date/Time: Thursday, Aug. 19, 2010, 6 p.m.

Featured Speakers: FCC Commissioners Michael Copps and Mignon Clyburn and Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie (All FCC commissioners are invited to speak, and other elected officials have also received invitations to speak. Additional speakers will be announced as they are confirmed.)

Tribal Participants: Native Public Media Advisory Council Member Sydney Beane, former NPM AC Member Laura Watterma Wittstock, Leach Lake Tribal Member Frank Reese. Others will be in attendance.

Contact: Steven Renderso for more information, steven@mainstreetproject.org

Event page: http://www.savetheinternet.com/mnhearing

To Watch Live:  www.mag-net.org (6-9 pm CT)

FCC Establishes Office of Native Affairs and Policy Headed by Geoffrey Blackwell

NEWS
News Media Information 202 / 418-0500
​Internet: http://www.fcc.gov
TTY: 1-888-835-5322
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D. C. 20554

This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.
See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
August 12, 2010 Dan Rumelt at (202) 418-7512
e-mail: dan.rumelt@fcc.gov
​
FCC ESTABLISHES OFFICE OF NATIVE AFFAIRS AND POLICY

Washington, DC — In order to develop and advance an agenda aimed at bringing the benefits of a modern communications infrastructure to all Native communities, the Federal Communications Commission has established an Office of Native Affairs and Policy. The office will work to promote the deployment and adoption of communications services and technologies throughout Tribal Lands and Native communities, by, among other things, ensuring robust government-to-government consultation with Tribal governments and increased coordination with Native organizations.

“Tribal lands and Native communities suffer unacceptably low levels of communications services, especially broadband,” said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. “Increasing connectivity in Native America is one of the FCC’s top priorities. With this new office, the Commission will work closely with Native leaders to develop and implement policies that ensure their communities enjoy the benefits of 21st Century communications infrastructure.”

The office will be headed by Geoffrey Blackwell, and will be part of the FCC’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. “The Office of Native Affairs and Policy is a historic milestone and the culmination of many years of effort by leaders in Indian Country and at the FCC,” said Blackwell. “There is a lot of good hard work that remains on the path ahead. As Tribal Nations and Native communities exercise their sovereignty and self-determination to ensure a bright future for their generations, the entire agency now has a new capability to engage with them. Many people throughout the FCC have worked diligently on behalf of Tribes for a number of years. I look forward to working with them to further advance the Commission’s efforts on behalf of Native communities.”

The Office of Native Affairs and Policy will handle ongoing consultation and coordination with American Indian Tribes, Alaska Native Villages, Native Hawaiian Organizations, and other Native and Tribal entities, and will be the official Commission contact point for these activities. It will also engage in work with Commissioners, bureaus, and offices, as well as with other government agencies, private organizations, and the communications industries, to develop and implement FCC policies regarding Tribal Nations and Native communities.

Action by the Commission July 29, 2010, by Order (FCC 10-141). Chairman Genachowski, Commissioners Copps, McDowell, Clyburn and Baker with Commissioner Copps issuing a statement.

– FCC –

How Native Women Built the Tribal Law and Order Act : Ms Magazine Blog

Please read this great blog post on Ms. Magazine on the history of the study behind the Tribal Law and Order Act.

Repost:

As a Native feminist without apology, I’m thrilled that the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 has been passed to protect Native women from violence. I have fellow Native woman warrior and feminist to thank for coining that exact phrase, and in fact, the bill itself: my shero Ms. Sarah Deer.

via How Native Women Built the Tribal Law and Order Act : Ms Magazine Blog.

Emotional video from the signing of the Historic Tribal Law and Order Act