{"id":3789,"date":"2020-10-29T09:05:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T14:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=3789"},"modified":"2020-10-29T09:15:44","modified_gmt":"2020-10-29T14:15:44","slug":"native-sun-news-today-tribes-take-steps-to-bridge-digital-divide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/10\/29\/native-sun-news-today-tribes-take-steps-to-bridge-digital-divide\/","title":{"rendered":"Native Sun News Today: Tribes take steps to bridge digital divide"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=row><div class=col-md-7><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"797\" data-attachment-id=\"3791\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/10\/29\/native-sun-news-today-tribes-take-steps-to-bridge-digital-divide\/ernestweston-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ernestweston.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,797\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"ernestweston\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ernestweston.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ernestweston.jpg\" alt=\"ernest weston\" class=\"alignnone img-fluid wp-image-3791\" \/><\/div><div class=\"col-md-5 align-self-end\"><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">\r\nErnest Weston Jr. Courtesy photo<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Internet will bring badly needed jobs to reservation<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Thursday, October 29, 2020<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Talli Nauman<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Native Sun News Today Health & Environment Editor<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source-website\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nativesunnews.today\/\">nativesunnews.today<\/a><\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nPINE RIDGE \u2013 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) notified the Oglala Sioux and 153 other tribes on October 23 that they succeeded in obtaining <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/10\/23\/federal-communications-commission-announces-tribal-priority-licenses\/>licenses to provide advanced wireless internet services<\/a>, creating unprecedented prospects for Indian Country.<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cWe\u2019ll see in the coming years how this is going to change our communities,\u201d said Oglala Sioux Tribe Planning Office Program Manager Ernest Weston Jr. \u201cI\u2019m really excited for this opportunity because we have something very big here and we need to be very deliberate,\u201d Weston told the Native Sun News Today.<p><\/p>\r\nOn tribal lands, only 65 percent of the population has access to broadband, according to MuralNet, a non-profit company that is providing consultation to tribes on the FCC\u2019s Rural Tribal Priority list.\r\nHalf of tribal rural households don\u2019t even have access to a fixed wireless internet provider, which is over twice the rate of their non-tribal counterparts, MuralNet says.<p><\/p>\r\nOn February 2, the agency began offering tribal governments complementary licensing of the radio airwave communication spectrum\u2019s 2.5 GHz band of mobile and digital signal previously reserved for educational institutions.<p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FCC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@FCC<\/a>&#39;s issued the 1st set of 2.5 GHz spectrum licenses through the 1st-ever Rural Tribal Priority Window! From the Algaaciq Tribal Government of Alaska to the Zuni Tribe of New Mexico\/Arizona, numerous Tribal entities now have prime airwaves to help close the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/digitaldivide?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#digitaldivide<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EtQk9BvuNC\">pic.twitter.com\/EtQk9BvuNC<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Ajit Pai (@AjitPai) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AjitPai\/status\/1319665001561493510?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 23, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nOn September 15, the FCC notified the Oglala Sioux Tribe and 156 other applicants that they qualified for license consideration after the agency\u2019s Rural Tribal Window closed September 2.<p><\/p>\r\nIn announcing the granting of the licenses October 23, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai called them \u201ca major step forward in our efforts to close the digital divide on tribal lands.\u201d Pai recognized that \u201cfew communities face the digital connectivity challenges faced by rural tribes.\u201d<p><\/p>\r\nHe said he has \u201cseen first-hand the connectivity difficulties facing Native Nations.\u201d By prioritizing tribal control over access to the Educational Broadband Service range, \u201cWe are ensuring that tribes can quickly access spectrum to connect their schools, homes, hospitals, and businesses,\u201d he said.<p><\/p>\r\nThe agency now is distributing the 2.5 GHz band licenses to tribal communities. To take advantage of the offer, licensees must put their shares of the spectrum to use.<p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">On tribal lands, only 65 percent of the population has access to broadband. Half of tribal rural households don\u2019t even have access to a fixed wireless internet provider. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Tribal252?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Tribal252<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MuralNetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@muralnetwork<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/TribalBroadband?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#TribalBroadband<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/DigitalDivide?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#DigitalDivide<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NativeSunNewsToday?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NativeSunNewsToday<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/nhdpET4q63\">https:\/\/t.co\/nhdpET4q63<\/a><\/p>&mdash; indianz.com (@indianz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/indianz\/status\/1309214240255991808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 24, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nTwo years from now, licensees must submit evidence that they are providing service coverage to 50 percent of the population in their license area.<p><\/p>\r\nThis FCC stipulation means that 50 percent of the population in the service area must be able to access the service; it does not require a 50 percent adoption rate.<p><\/p>\r\nFive years after the license is granted, licensees must show that they are providing service coverage to 80 percent of the population.<p><\/p>\r\nIf licensees lease their spectrum shares, then the service provided by lessees will be counted towards the buildout requirement.<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\" data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div><p><\/p>\r\nThe license the Oglala Sioux Tribe obtained covers 2.7 million acres, one of the largest geographical areas of those granted. It stretches across the counties of Oglala Lakota, Bennett and Jackson, reaching to the original boundaries of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.<p><\/p>\r\nIn tooling up for the licensure, Weston\u2019s office surveyed the connectivity needs of the reservation and targeted 12 communities \u201cthat don\u2019t have access to broad band.\u201d <p><\/p>\r\nThey are Red Shirt Table, Batesland, Wakpamni Area, Hilse, Potato Creek, North Allen, Yellow Bear, American Horse Creek, North Manderson, Georgetown, Lakeside, and Gooseneck.<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cIn these communities we\u2019re kind of pressed for time because equipment will need to be purchased with CARES Act dollars,\u201d Weston said.<p><\/p>\r\nThe federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to state and tribal governments is only applicable to expenses incurred since the pandemic outbreak March 1 through the end of December.<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"card mb-3\">\r\n  <div class=\"row\">\r\n    <div class=\"col-md-4\">\r\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nativesunnews.today\/\">\r\n\t\t  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2016\/09\/12\/nativesunnewstoday.png\" class=\"img-fluid\" alt=\"native sun news today\"\/>\r\n\t\t<\/a>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"col-md-8\">\r\n      <div class=\"card-body\">\r\n        <h5 class=\"card-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nativesunnews.today\/\">NATIVE SUN NEWS TODAY<\/a><\/h5>\r\n        <p>\r\n           Support Native media!\r\n        <\/p>\r\n\t\t<p>Read the rest of the story on Native Sun News Today: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nativesunnews.today\/articles\/internet-will-bring-badly-needed-jobs-to-reservation\/\">Internet will bring badly needed jobs to reservation<\/a>\r\n\t\t<\/p>\r\n\t\t<p>\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"source-links\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nativesunnews.today\/\"><i class=\"fas fa-link fa-xs\"><\/i> nativesunnews.today<\/a>\r\n&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nsweekly\"><i class=\"fab fa-facebook fa-xs\"><\/i> nsweekly<\/a>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/p>  \r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<HR><EM>Contact Talli Nauman at talli.nauman@gmail.com<\/em><HR>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<strong>Note: Copyright permission <A href=\"https:\/\/www.nativesunnews.today\/\">Native Sun News Today<\/A><\/strong>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cWe\u2019ll see in the coming years how this is going to change our communities,\u201d said Ernest Weston Jr.  of the Oglala Sioux Tribe Planning Office.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3790,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,20,1,22],"tags":[74,5,71,121,760,328,180,2,97,98],"class_list":["post-3789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-indian-trust","category-national","category-technology","tag-cares-act","tag-coronavirus","tag-economic-development","tag-employment","tag-ernest-weston","tag-fcc","tag-internet","tag-native-sun-news-today","tag-oglala-sioux","tag-south-dakota","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ernestweston.jpeg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-Z7","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3789\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}