Don't Let FCC Cut Off Oklahoma Lifeline

[Commentary] In a February 2, 2016 press release, Federal Communications Commissioner Ajit Pai called the continuation of Tribal Lifeline subsidies in Oklahoma a “legal scandal” and a “bloated tax payer subsidy.” The Universal Service Fund is not tax based, but rather a federal subsidy program based on fees and designed to make services affordable to impoverished families. Enhanced Tribal Lifeline subsidies are designed to help those living on Tribal lands afford basic telephone service. At issue is the map used to determine “tribal lands.”

Pai’s objections are based upon the fact that the FCC will, at least for a short period of time, continue to use a map that includes lands that were historically occupied by Native Americans. Pai’s knee-jerk statement implies that Tribes are somehow the culpable recipients of undeserved benefits. Pai's statements also suggest a misunderstanding of how the Lifeline program actually operates to assist all low-income families on Tribal lands, not just Tribal families. Rather than acknowledge that the key reason for continuing use of the historic map is simply to enable the FCC to consult with Oklahoma Tribes before unilaterally eliminating important Tribal subsidies, Pai simply ignores the complex historical relationship between the federal government and Native Nations. The real scandal is not the continuation of certain benefits to those who live on Tribal lands, but Pai’s suggestion that the FCC should not have engaged in government-to-government consultations with Oklahoma Tribal Nations before unilaterally eliminating important legal rights.

[Loris Taylor is the resident and CEO of Native Public Media; Matthew Rantanen is the director of technology for Southern California Tribal Digital Village; and Susan Feller is the executive director of the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums]