In a nod to how tribes were overlooked in the Telecommunications Act, in 1997 Bill Richardson introduced the Native American Telecommunications Act that aimed to promote:

The FCC released a Tribal Policy Statement, which crucially acknowledged a government-to-government relationship between the FCC and tribal nations. Geoff describes the importance of the policy.

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) established their Tech and Telecom Subcommittee. Their resolutions, some of which are highlighted here demonstrate how NCAI has served as an essential space for discussion and advocacy on broadband and related issues in the past 20 years. Matt Rantanen, the Director of Technology for the Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association and the Co-Chair of NCAI’s Tech and Telecom subcommittee, recalls one of his first efforts to advocate specifically for tribal broadband needs. As Irene Flannery, Former FCC Regulator explained, at the time, despite FCC’s growing engagement with tribes, the Universal Service Fund had limited focus on tribal needs.

The tribal policy statement ushered in a further period of outreach and engagement with Native Nations. The FCC conducted visits, consultations and some regional conferences called Indian Telecommunications Training Initiatives. In 2004, then-chairmen Michael K. Powell highlighted these outreach efforts and reiterated the need for an:

Like NCAI, Native Public Media was another critical space for advocacy and coordination on broadband issues, but it came to broadband through a focus on radio and spectrum. As Loris Taylor, President and CEO of Native Public Media and Danae Wilson, the Former Manager of the Department of Technology Services for the Nez Perce tribe now at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy explain.

Although tribal leaders highlighted the connectivity challenges on their lands, there had been little systematic data collected quantifying and demonstrating the broadband needs in Indian Country. Native Public Media and the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute’s issued the first major report on technology use, access, and adoption in Native American lands. One of the authors of the study, Dr. Traci Morris talks about how the problems and lessons they encountered then remain salient today. 

In addition to the funding streams, the American Recovery and Reinvestment act also directed the FCC to create a plan to improve internet access in the United States.

The Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan was unveiled on March 16, 2010. In the lead up to the plan, NCAI advocated for ensuring tribal priorities were taken into account, including calling for a Tribal Broadband Plan within the National Broadband Plan and Enhanced Tribal Lands Broadband Program within the Universal Service Fund. The plan recommended that the FCC consider expanding any Tribal priority policy from radio to broadband spectrum and also recommended that Congress consider establishing a Tribal Broadband Fund to support sustainable broadband deployment and adoption on Tribal lands.

Following the years of advocacy by Indian Country, the FCC opened the Tribal Priority Window to ease their access unassigned 2.5 GHz spectrum over their Tribal lands, subject to buildout requirements. Geoff and Irene address the long period of work that led up to this moment, its welcome reception among Tribal nations, while also acknowledging that this is only a partial step towards addressing connectivity needs in Indian Country.

In the wake of the pandemic, the federal government made significant investments in broadband infrastructure, for the first time setting aside direct funding for tribes. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 created the $980 million Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program and the 2022 Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act added an additional $2 billion towards that program. Years after tribes raised the need for direct funding, there is significant investment available for them to address their own connectivity needs. Irene and Matt credit this change to the continued and renewed advocacy by the tribes and talk about the work still to be done.