TITLE: In Support of Renewing the Federal Communications Commission’s Native Nation’s Broadband Taskforce
WHEREAS, we, the members of the National Congress of American Indians of the United States, invoking the divine blessing of the Creator upon our efforts and purposes, in order to preserve for ourselves and our descendants the inherent sovereign rights of our Indian nations, rights secured under Indian treaties and agreements with the United States, and all other rights and benefits to which we are entitled under the laws and Constitution of the United States, to enlighten the public toward a better understanding of the Indian people, to preserve Indian cultural values, and otherwise promote the health, safety and welfare of the Indian people, do hereby establish and submit the following resolution; and
WHEREAS, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was established in 1944 and is the oldest and largest national organization of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments; and
WHEREAS, the Federal Communications Commission established the FCC-Native Nations Broadband Taskforce in 2010 to assist the Commission in fulfilling its commitment to increasing broadband deployment and adoption on Tribal Lands; and
WHEREAS, the Task Force is responsible for assisting in developing and executing a Commission consultation policy, eliciting input from American Indian Tribal and Alaska Native Village governments, ensuring that Tribal government concerns are considered in all Commission proceedings related to broadband, developing additional recommendations for promoting broadband deployment and adoption on Tribal lands, and coordinating with external entities, including other Federal departments and agencies; and
WHEREAS, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission names members to the Task Force to represent Tribal Nations as well as Senior staff from the FCC to serve together; and
WHEREAS, the Native Nations Broadband Taskforce was chartered for an additional three year term in October, 2014; and
WHEREAS, the Native Nations Broadband Taskforce’s charter is set to expire in October, 2017 which would leave the Federal Communications Commission without the internal infrastructure for Indian Country to advise the Commission on how to increase broadband deployment and adoption on Tribal Lands.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Federal Communications Commission should take official action to renew the charter of the Native Nations Broadband Taskforce; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, NCAI urges the Federal Communications Commission to enact the policy recommendations of the Taskforce; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Native Nations Broadband Task Force be rechartered to again engage in meaningful and substantive, predecisional government-to-government consultation, not simply outreach or for information sharing purposes only; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the FCC support the Native Nations Broadband Taskforce through a dedicated resources through the Office of Native Affairs and Policy so it can carry out consultation both in Washington, DC and across Indian Country; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that this resolution shall be the policy of NCAI until it is withdrawn or modified by subsequent resolution.
CERTIFICATION
The foregoing resolution was adopted by the General Assembly at the 2017 Midyear Session of the National Congress of American Indians, held at the Mohegan Sun Convention Center, June 12 to June 15, 2017, with a quorum present.