LAS VEGAS – Some two thousand tribal leaders, entrepreneurs, government officials, suppliers, and many more are in Las Vegas for the largest economic development event in Indian Country. The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (the National Center) opened its 32nd annual Reservation Economic Summit (RES) on Monday at the Mirage Hotel and Casino. Diné Development
Several months ago, a team of men ascended the Greater Caucasus Mountains in Georgia. They led horses loaded with electrical wire, solar panels, batteries, toolboxes and drills powerful enough to grind through rock. With jagged ridgelines above and shadowed valleys below, the men were on a quest to bring the internet to one of the world’s
Matthew R. Rantanen is the Director of Technology for the Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association (SCTCA) and Director of the Tribal Digital Village (TDVNet) Network/Initiative that was started in 2001 designing and deploying wireless networking to support the tribal communities of Southern California. Matthew, of Finnish, Cree Indian, and Norwegian decent, has been described as
Nowhere is the ‘digital divide’ more extreme than on tribal lands. Will Washington’s solution fix the problem? ROFINO, Idaho — Alexis Coomer’s house isn’t located in a remote area, at least not compared with many of her fellow Nez Perce tribe members on this reservation in north-central Idaho. She lives in the 3,000-person town of
WASHINGTON – Derrick Watchman, Board Chairman for the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, testified before the House Natural Resource Committee’s Subcommittee on Indian, Insular, and Alaska Native Affairs this afternoon. He offered his support for and feedback on the Jobs for Tribes Act, which is legislation that will provide critical business and economic
In a year when the rights of indigenous people have been under assault, from Standing Rock to the president’s Twitter feed, a largely unknown politician is pushing back by launching a campaign to become the country’s first Native American governor. Paulette Jordan, a 37-year-old Idaho state representative and member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, is running
What is net neutrality and why should you care? How will it impact Indian Country? WASHINGTON – Net neutrality is the concept that Internet service providers (ISPs) must treat all data on the internet the same. Net neutrality rules were adopted in 2015 which set standards for ISPs ensuring they can’t discriminate or charge differently
Featured picture: Vint Cerf, Tim Berners-Lee and other industry luminaries tell US lawmakers proposal to end safeguards is based on misunderstanding of internet. More than 20 internet pioneers and leaders including the “father of the internet”, Vint Cerf; the inventor of the world wide web, Tim Berners-Lee; and the Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak have urged the
WASHINGTON — Some Native Americans are voicing concern that a recent decision by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission could leave many low-income communities on tribal lands offline. The FCC voted November 16 to scale back its Lifeline assistance program, which since the 1980s has provided phone and internet services at a discount to low-income Americans,
The Democratic Party is making high-speed Internet access a new plank in its economic agenda as it tries to regain trust among middle-class Americans in the country’s heartland. Democratic lawmakers are calling for $40 billion in new federal funding for infrastructure projects for rural and tribal areas and other regions, whose access to fast, affordable