{"id":3903,"date":"2020-10-30T10:56:03","date_gmt":"2020-10-30T15:56:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=3903"},"modified":"2020-11-04T12:15:41","modified_gmt":"2020-11-04T18:15:41","slug":"cronkite-news-tribes-granted-access-to-broadband-licenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/10\/30\/cronkite-news-tribes-granted-access-to-broadband-licenses\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite News: Tribes granted access to broadband licenses"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=row><div class=col-md-7><div class=\"fb-post\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/muralnet.org\/photos\/a.540548356492718\/677229179491301\/\" data-show-text=\"false\" data-width=\"350\"><blockquote cite=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/muralnet.org\/photos\/a.540548356492718\/677229179491301\/?type=3\" class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\">Posted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/muralnet.org\/\">MuralNet<\/a> on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/muralnet.org\/photos\/a.540548356492718\/677229179491301\/?type=3\">Tuesday, June 16, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><\/div>\r\n<\/div><div class=\"col-md-5 align-self-end\"><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">\r\nOn tribal lands, only 65 percent of the population has access to broadband, according to MuralNet, a company working with tribal nations.<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">FCC grants no-cost broadband spectrum licenses to 11 Arizona tribes<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Friday, October 30, 2020<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Calah Schlabach<\/div>\r\n<DIV class=source>Cronkite News<\/DIV>\r\n<DIV class=source-website><A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nWASHINGTON &#8211; The Federal Communications Commission has granted broadband spectrum licenses to 11 Arizona tribes in what FCC Chairman Ajit Pai called &#8220;a major step forward in our efforts to close the digital divide on Tribal lands.&#8221;<P><\/P>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.fcc.gov\/public\/attachments\/DOC-367726A1.pdf\">The awards,<\/a>\r\nannounced last week, were the result of a &#8220;first of its kind&#8221; Rural Tribal Priority Window that gave tribes the chance to apply for and receive spectrum licenses at no cost. Those licenses &#8211; which can be used for high-speed wireless broadband &#8211; are usually auctioned off to the highest bidder.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe licenses &#8220;will open the door to economic growth and allow tribal families to work and learn remotely, access telehealth services, and stay connected to loved ones,&#8221; Rep. Tom O\u2019Halleran, D-Sedona, said in a statement Wednesday.<P><\/P>\r\nThe licenses give tribes &#8220;exclusive use of up to 117.5 megahertz of 2.5 GHz (gigahertz) band spectrum&#8221; they can use to get their communities connected. They will also give tribes a potential revenue stream, making them less dependent on private firms that are not always interested in developing the infrastructure to extend access to rural areas.<P><\/P>\r\n<DIV class=map-responsive>\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/embed?mid=1-EflqMQRyw2BUPEnQtS15-T7PCZJtHtt\"  height=\"480\"><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Cronkite News Map: <a href=https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/viewer?mid=1-EflqMQRyw2BUPEnQtS15-T7PCZJtHtt&#038;usp=sharing>Tribal broadband licensees<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nTribes will be able to use the licenses to implement broadband infrastructure themselves or lease the rights to a third-party company to do the work. Either way, they have to meet certain benchmarks to retain the licenses: Half the population area covered by the license must have access to service within two years, and 80% within five.<P><\/P>\r\nTribes may not sell or transfer their licenses before they meet the benchmarks.<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nThe FCC announced the tribal priority window after tribal representatives last year complained to Congress that the agency was not doing enough to close the digital divide on tribal lands &#8211; a claim backed up by a report from the Government Accountability Office. The \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/products\/GAO-19-75#summary\">GAO report<\/a>\r\nsaid 35% of people living on tribal lands lacked access to broadband in 2018, compared to 8% for Americans overall.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;Few communities face the digital connectivity challenges faced by rural Tribes,&#8221; Pai said in a statement on the license awards.<P><\/P>\r\nThe National Congress of American Indians this summer hailed the tribal priority window as &#8220;one of the few inexpensive solutions to overcoming the numerous barriers that have prevented better connection to tribal areas, as well as preparing them for future high-speed connections.&#8221;<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_www-facebook-com\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/muralnet.org\/posts\/703383193542566\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/31\/116265525_703383000209252_2961140684531696947_n.jpg\" alt=\"MuralNet\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/muralnet.org\/posts\/703383193542566\">\n\t\t\tMuralNet\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/muralnet.org\/posts\/703383193542566\">\n\t\t\t<p>Senator Sinema and Commissioner Rosenworcel\u2019s op ed in The Hill pushes the FCC to extend the deadline, citing The Havasupai Tribe\u2019s network. #ConnectTribes&#8230;<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.xx.fbcdn.net\/rsrc.php\/y1\/r\/ay1hV6OlegS.ico\" alt=\"www.facebook.com\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\twww.facebook.com\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe window was open from February 3 to September 2 &#8211; including a month-long extension due to the COVID-19 pandemic &#8211; and gave eligible rural tribes a shot at applying for broadband licenses before the rest of the available licenses were auctioned off.<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nIn a \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2019\/09\/18\/tribal-leaders-lawmakers-chide-fcc-for-lack-of-progress-on-broadband\/\">Senate hearing<\/a>\r\nlast year, Arizona lawmakers promised to keep the pressure on the FCC, and this week, some applauded the FCC for its action.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;Increasing access to high-speed broadband improves tribal and rural communities&#8217; access to health care, education, and jobs,&#8221; said Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., in a statement Wednesday.<P><\/P>\r\n\r\nThe FCC granted licenses \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.fcc.gov\/public\/attachments\/DOC-367726A3.pdf\">to 154 tribes<\/a>\r\nof the more than 400 that applied nationally. In Arizona, winning tribes were the Colorado River Indian Tribes, Gila River Indian Community, Havasupai Tribe, Hopi Tribe, Hualapai Indian Tribe, Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians, San Carlos Apache Tribe, Tohono O\u2019odham Nation, White Mountain Apache Tribe, Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe and the Zuni Tribe.\r\n<P><\/P><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\nThere\u2019s still hope for the three Arizona tribes who applied and did not get licenses this round: the Navajo Nation, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the Fort Yuma Quechan Tribe. The FCC is still reviewing applications and more licenses are likely to be forthcoming.<P><\/P>\r\nO&#8217;Halleran, whose rural district includes a large swath of reservation lands, said in a statement Wednesday that &#8220;families across rural and tribal Arizona \u2026 often face the most significant barriers to digital connectivity.&#8221;<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;This year, the coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the digital divide that rural and tribal communities have struggled with for years,&#8221; said O\u2019Halleran.<P><\/P>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<STRONG>For more stories from Cronkite News, visit <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/?utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=client\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A>.<\/STRONG>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<HR><EM>Note: This story originally <a href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2020\/10\/29\/fcc-grants-no-cost-broadband-spectrum-licenses-to-11-arizona-tribes\/\">appeared on Cronkite News<\/a>.  It  is published via a <A href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative  Commons license<\/A>. Cronkite News is produced by the <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkite.asu.edu\/\">Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication<\/A> at <A href=\"https:\/\/www.asu.edu\">Arizona State University<\/A>.<\/EM><HR>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3910\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/10\/30\/cronkite-news-tribes-granted-access-to-broadband-licenses\/muralnet\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/muralnet.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1536,1152\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"muralnet\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/muralnet-1024x768.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/muralnet.jpg\" alt=\"muralnet\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" class=\"invisible wp-image-3910\" \/>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Federal Communications Commission has granted broadband spectrum licenses to tribes in what FCC Chairman Ajit Pai called \u201ca major step forward in our efforts to close the digital divide on Tribal lands.\u201d","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3910,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10,1,14,22],"tags":[761,42,46,328,386,180,7,247],"class_list":["post-3903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-national","category-politics","category-technology","tag-ajit-pai","tag-arizona","tag-cronkite-news","tag-fcc","tag-gao","tag-internet","tag-ncai","tag-tom-ohalleran","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/muralnet.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-10X","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3903","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=3903"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3903\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}