Indian Telecommunications Initiatives Regional Workshop and Roundtable

As part of the FCC’s Indian Telecommunications Initiatives program (“ITI”), and in cooperation with Southern California Tribal Chairman’s Association (“SCTCA”) Tribal Digital Village, the National Congress of American Indians (“NCAI”), and the Center for Native American Public Radio (“CNAPR”), the FCC will host its fifth ITI Regional Workshop and Roundtable (“ITI San Diego”) on July 27th and 28th in San Diego, California.

This ITI San Diego is being hosted in order to facilitate the government-to-government relationship between FCC and the tribal nations and in recognition of the FCC’s trust relationship with the American Indian community. This event is designed to increase the FCC’s and Tribal Nations’ understanding of essential telecommunications issues impacting the deployment of telecommunications services in Indian Country and to perpetuate intergovernmental consultation between the parties in order to identify and remove barriers to telecommunications deployment in Indian Country. This ITI event will build upon the successes of the FCC’s previous ITI Regional Workshop and Roundtables, held in Reno, Nevada, in July 2003, in Rapid City, South Dakota, in May 2004, on the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s Reservation in Idaho in November 2004, and Albuquerque, New Mexico in July 2005.

ITI San Diego will focus on broadband deployment issues, a key component of the Commission’s Strategic Plan. On the first day, July 27th, and the morning of the second day, July 28th, presentations and discussions will focus on wireless methods of delivering broadband solutions, strategies for aggregating demand and creating effective partnerships, and how to acquire spectrum through FCC auctions, or through the secondary markets processes. Panels are also planned that will provide attendees with updates on legislative and regulatory developments. On the afternoon of July 28th, the second day, sessions will be devoted to the issues of broadcast radio in Indian country. Representatives of CNAPR and the FCC’s Media Bureau will address the acquisition of spectrum through the FCC auctions process. CNAPR is a centralized organization that provides technical, fundraising and programmatic support to nearly 30 public radio stations serving Native American listeners. CNAPR was launched in the autumn of 2004 with a $1.5 million grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The agenda for this ITI will build upon the experiences of the SCTCA Tribal Digital Village. The Tribal Digital Village is an outgrowth of the collaborative effort of the SCTCA and the University of California at San Diego, known as the High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network. In early 2001, the SCTCA received a $5 million Hewlett-Packard Philanthropy Digital Village grant to design and implement a project to help their underserved tribal communities establish high-speed Internet connectivity and to develop a variety of creative network solutions to address the cultural and educational goals of each community. The Hewlett-Packard grant provided for a three-year Community Technology Partnership Plan, and included products, services, and capital.

Over the past several years, the FCC has coordinated its ITI outreach efforts extensively with NCAI, the oldest and largest inter-Tribal government association in the United States, and its Telecommunications Subcommittee. Together, NCAI and the FCC co-host their Annual Dialogue on Increasing Telecommunications Services in Indian Country, an intergovernmental consultative meeting between FCC Commissioners and Senior FCC staff, and the Tribal leaders and representatives that comprise the NCAI Telecommunications Subcommittee. Last year, NCAI and the FCC held a joint regional meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The FCC’s Indian Telecommunications Initiatives

The FCC’s ITI is comprehensive program that seeks to promote understanding and cooperation and trust among Tribes and Tribal organizations, the FCC and other governmental agencies, and the telecommunications industry. The ITI program seeks to build partnerships, identify potential solutions, and bring affordable, quality telecommunications services to Indian Country. The ITI program’s goals - to increase the telephone penetration rate; facilitate the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure on tribal lands; and inform Tribes about federal government programs, including Universal Service Fund programs - are undertaken in Indian Country by the FCC through targeted and effective Tribal outreach, coordination and consultation. The Commission’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA), located within the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, is responsible for coordinating the FCC’s Tribal outreach and consultation.

Registration for “ITI San Diego” and More Information

This ITI event is free of charge to registrants. Tribal leaders and representatives, and planning and economic development managers are encouraged to attend. Telecommunications industry representatives are also welcome to attend these intergovernmental meetings. To register for the ITI San Diego Regional Workshop and Roundtable, or to obtain additional information, please call 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) press number 6 and follow the prompts to leave your full contact information, call 202-418-2510, fax 202-418-2839, or e-mail your full contact information to iti-info@fcc.gov.

The conference will be held at the Holiday Inn Sea World, 3737 Sports Arena Blvd., San Diego, CA 92110. For reservations, call (toll free) 1-800-383-5430 and mention the conference.

For more information on the Commission’s ITI program, ITI San Diego Regional Workshop and Roundtable, or Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, please contact Alice Elder, Chief, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs at 202-418-2168, alice.elder@fcc.gov or Shana Barehand, Senior Attorney and Tribal Liaison, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs at 202-418-0385, shana.barehand@fcc.gov. Updates and further information will also be made available on the FCC’s Tribal Initiatives website at: http://www.fcc.gov/indians.

Federal Communications Commission
Indian Telecommunications Initiatives
Regional Workshop and Roundtable
San Diego, California
July 27 and 28, 2006

Agenda

July 27, 2006

7:30 – 8:15 Registration

8:15 – 8:30 Opening Invocation

8:30 – 9:15 Welcoming Remarks

Monica Desai
Chief, Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau

Denis Turner (Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians)
Executive Director, Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association (SCTCA)

Joe Garcia (Ohkay Owingeh) (INVITED)
Governor, Ohkay Owingeh
President, National Congress of American Indians

9:15 – 10:30 FCC Regulatory Update: Discussion of FCC programs, rules and policies affecting communities and consumers in Indian Country.

Thomas Buckley
Legal Counsel, Wireline Competition Bureau, FCC

David Furth
Associate Bureau Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, FCC

Michael Carowitz
Chief of Staff, Enforcement Bureau, FCC

Michael Wagner
Assistant Division Chief, Audio Services Division, Media Bureau, FCC

10:30 – 10:45 Break

10:45 – 11:45 Wireless Spectrum Acquisition and Regulation: The FCC’s spectrum auction processes and strategies for secondary markets (including partitioning, disaggregation and leasing), unlicensed spectrum, and emerging technologies.

David Furth
Associate Bureau Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, FCC

Lauren VanWazer
Special Counsel to Chief, Office of Engineering and Technology, FCC

11:45 – 1:15 Lunch

1:15 – 2:15 Promoting Broadband in Indian Country: Viewpoints of tribal planners and government representatives on implementing community-responsive service strategies.

Matt Rantanen (Cree)
Director of Technology, SCTCA Tribal Digital Village

Ben Standifer (T’Ohono O’odham Nation)
Director of Information and Technology, T’Ohono O’odham Nation

Steve Grey (Dine’)
Chairperson, Navajo Nation Telecommunication Regulatory Commission

2:15 – 3:15 Developing Broadband in Indian Country: A discussion of technology options and infrastructure deployment plans.

Matt Rantanen (Cree)
Director of Technology, SCTCA Tribal Digital Village

Brandon Stephens (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians)
Planner/Grant Writer, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

Valerie Fast Horse (Coeur d’Alene Tribe)
Council Woman, Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Director, Information Technology Department, Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Co-Chair, Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Telecom and Utilities Subcommittee

3:15 – 3:30 Break

3:30 – 5:00 Roundtable Discussion

5:00 – Site visits

Friday, July 28th

9:00 – 9:15 Dan Gonzalez
Chief of Staff,
Office of Chairman Kevin Martin, FCC

9:15 – 10:30 Business Planning for Tribal Telecom:. A discussion of funding options for building and sustaining a viable telecommunications system.

Madonna Yawakie (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa)
President & CEO, Turtle Island Communications, Inc.

Bill Larget (Ojibwa, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community)
Small Business Administration, Tribal Office

Harry Hutson
General Field Representative, Rural Utilities Service, USDA

Pam Gallant
Director, Low Income Programs, Universal Service Administration Company

Susan White
Senior Partner, ACKCO American Indian Professional Services
Consultant to Administration for Native Americans

10:30 – 10:45 Break

10:45 – 11:00 Jonathan S. Adelstein
Commissioner, FCC

11:00 – 12:30 Roundtable Discussion

12:30 – 1:45 Lunch

1:45 – 2:45 Broadcast Radio in Indian Country: Broadcast radio policy, the acquisition of spectrum and issues arising in developing and operating broadcast radio outlets in Indian Country.

Michael Wagner
Assistant Division Chief, Audio Services Division, Media Bureau, FCC

Loris Taylor (Hopi Tribe)
Executive Director, Center for Native American Public Radio (CNAPR)

Peggy Berryhill (Muscogee [Creek] Nation)
Director of Station Services and Planning, CNAPR

2:45 – 3:45 Tribal Television Development : Television regulatory overview, acquisition of spectrum, and issues encountered in the development of tribal television outlets.

Michael Wagner
Assistant Division Chief, Audio Services Division, Media Bureau, FCC

Linda White Wolf
Arizona Native News, KAZ-TV

3:45 – 4:00 Break

4:00 – 5:00 Round Table Discussion

5:00 – 5:30 Wrap Up and Next Steps

Monica Desai
Chief, Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau

5:30 Adjourn

See:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1445A1.doc
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1445A2.doc