FCC Chairman Wheeler's Response to Senator Cantwell Regarding Broadband Access on Tribal Lands

On December 11, 2014, Sen Maria Cantwell (D-WA) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler, "To ensure that FCC policy does not exacerbate the difficulties of promoting deployment on tribal lands, I write to urge you to heed the call of the attached [National Congress of American Indians] resolution adopted at their 2014 Annual Convention. The resolution calls on the FCC to engage in formal tribal consultation to understand the importance of the high cost loop support (HCLS) mechanism in promoting deployment of broadband services on tribal lands. I agree with the NCAI resolution that, consistent with the federal government's and the FCC's commitments, formal tribal consultation occur before moving forward with further reforms in this area."

On January 23, 2015 Chairman Wheeler responded saying, "We are also committed to ensuring that Tribal concerns are appropriately considered and addressed as part of the Commission's broader efforts to improve broadband deployment throughout the United States. In addition, this October, the Commission took steps to reinvigorate the FCC-Native Nations Broadband Task Force, with the appointment of 31 members representing 20 Tribal Nations and 11 Bureaus and Offices within the Commission. In 2015, the Commission plans to continue to engage and consult with Tribal Nations, NTT A, and others in Indian Country on long-term reform of rate-of-return support."