First Nations Hosts Free Webinar to Help Tribes Access Rapidly Closing 2.5GHz Rural Tribal Window
LONGMONT, Colorado (June 22, 2020) – With just six weeks remaining before the filing deadline, First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) is hosting an informational webinar to help tribes get up to speed and ready to submit their Rural Tribal Window applications and gain access to the unassigned 2.5GHz internet spectrum that is already running across their lands.
The FCC 2.5GHz Rural Tribal Window is an opportunity for rural tribes to use this 2.5GHz license to build and control their own internet networks, or lease or sell it to another internet service provider. But to access this opportunity, tribes must submit an application through the FCC 2.5GHz Rural Tribal Window by August 3, 2020. In First Nations’ Rural Tribal Window Webinar, June 25, 2020, at 11:30 am Mountain Time, panelists will break down the FCC Rural Tribal Window application process and discuss the many possibilities for tribes that want to control their own broadband spectrum and wireless networks.
Catherine Bryan, First Nations’ Director of Strengthening Tribal & Community Institutions Programs, said the Rural Tribal Window is a way for tribes to take control of their digital communication infrastructure and build out their own internet networks, or leverage this spectrum license as a tribally controlled asset. “COVID-19 has underscored the need for dependable, high-speed internet, which is often lacking on tribal lands where there is a ‘Digital Desert,’” she said. “Not having access — and control of that access — can have a significant impact on tribes’ ability to provide emergency communications, telehealth, and online business and economic opportunities, as well as education, outreach, and social connection.”
The webinar is free for all participants. At least one member of tribal council and one or more members of tribal IT, planning, utility, economic development, or finance departments are encouraged to attend the webinar together, as only tribes and tribally-controlled entities are eligible to submit an application through the FCC 2.5GHz Rural Tribal Window.
Bryan asserts that time is of the essence because the deadline for tribes to apply for the 2.5GHz license is August 3, 2020.
Interested participants can register for the free webinar here.
“This is a huge opportunity for Native communities to invest in their technology and communications infrastructure, and the deadline is fast approaching,” Bryan said. “We encourage all tribal leaders to attend the webinar, get informed and apply for the FCC’s 2.5GHZ license before the window closes.”
More information is available on First Nation’s project site.
About First Nations Development Institute
For 40 years, using a three-pronged strategy of educating grassroots practitioners, advocating for systemic change, and capitalizing Indian communities, First Nations has been working to restore Native American control and culturally-compatible stewardship of the assets they own – be they land, human potential, cultural heritage or natural resources – and to establish new assets for ensuring the long-term vitality of Native American communities. First Nations serves Native American communities throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.firstnations.org.
–##–
PROGRAM CONTACT:
Tiffany Hammer, Senior Program Officer
[email protected] or (303) 775-0241
MEDIA CONTACT:
Amy Jakober, Senior Communications Officer
[email protected] or (303) 921-1015
Source link
