National Congress of American Indians
66th Annual Convention & Tradeshow
Palm Springs, CA
Telecommunications Sub-Committee Agenda
Tuesday October 13, and Wednesday October 14, 2009
Moderating: Geoffrey Blackwell, Corporate Director, Chickasaw Nation Industries
From Left:
Greg Smith, Partner, Smith and Brown-Yazzie Counsel to the United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc.
Sacred Sites Preservation and Tower Siting Issues in the Broadband Stimulus Funding Process
John Crigler, Senior Partner, Garvey Schubert Barer Establishing a Tribal Priority in Broadcast Spectrum Licensing at the FCC, and the Importance a Tribal Priority in Broadband Regulatory Arenas Counsel to Native Public Media and several Tribal broadcasters
Matthew R. Rantanen, Director of Technology Tribal Digital Village, Southern California Tribal Chairman's Association Lessons Learned in Applying for Broadband Funding in the First Round of BIP and BTOP Notice of Funds Availability
Susie Allen, Co-Chair for Telecommunications National Tribal Telecommunications Association Update
Eric Liang Jensen, Policy Counsel
National Tribal Telecommunications Association Update
| NPM letter to FCC Supporting Net Neutrality |
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October 17, 2009 Dear Federal Communications Commissioners: Network Neutrality, the principle that protects choice of content and equal opportunity is important to Native Americans across this country. As more and more Native Americans gain access to broadband, Network Neutrality assures that the Internet is a space where free speech is protected and insured. Network Neutrality assures that even populations that have long been invisible on the Internet highway share the same opportunity as others, to get the information they need, and to be able to speak out and be heard. And engaged democracy, relies on our ability as citizens to freely access information online and to be able to use that information to determine our own destiny in politics, health, education, environment and other important matters. Net Neutrality supports Native American political empowerment and we must make sure that the Internet is a space where our democratic principles are reflected and kept healthy and robust in the true context of a free and open space. Industry control over websites, content, services or applications works against the democratic empowerment of the people. When industry decides who can be heard or censored, the fundamental tool of our engagement on the Internet becomes questionable, jeopardized or harmed. Even more importantly, the accountability of our democratic engagement becomes governed by industry rather than by the people. Native Public Media supports Net Neutrality policies that favor the public interest including the 1) protection of free speech, economic innovation and creativity, and participation by citizens in democratic processes via the Internet; 2) the prevention of any potential discrimination against Web content based on source, ownership or destination; 3) the prevention of pay-to-play Internet tolls on any wired or wireless network systems; and 4) Internet education and literacy. Native Public Media urges you to stand with us in support of Network Neutrality and we urge the Federal Communications Commission to take affirmative action now to safeguard the free flow of information on the Web.
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