New FCC office targets Native Americans By Gautham Nagesh - 08/12/10 04:49 PM ET
A new office at the Federal Communications Commission will work to increase the adoption and availability of broadband and other communications technologies among Native American communities. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced Thursday that the Office of Native Affairs and Policy would be headed by former FCC attorney Geoffrey Blackwell and housed in the Commission's consumer and governmental affairs bureau. It will promote policies to expand broadband availability in tribal lands and Native communities. "Tribal lands and Native communities suffer unacceptably low levels of communications services, especially broadband," Genachowski said. "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 of Native Affairs and Policy will serve as the official FCC point of contact for American Indian Tribes, Alaska Native Villages, Native Hawaiian Organizations, and other Native and Tribal entities. The office will work with the Commission, private stakeholders and the communications industry to develop FCC policies regarding Tribal Nations and Native communities. "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," Blackwell said. "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." Blackwell, an enrolled member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, previously worked at the FCC as a senior attorney and liaison to Tribal Governments from 1999 to 2005. He holds a B.A. in government from Dartmouth College, a J.D. from University of Virginia and has since worked for Chickasaw Nation Industries, which oversees a family of companies owned by the Chickasaw Nation. Source: http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/114059-new-fcc-office-targets-native-americans Ray T. Mahorney WA4WGA _______________________________________________ Medianews mailing list [email protected] http://lists.etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews
