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A report for the FCC in 2015 found nearly two million people living on tribal land lack access to the internet. Even more than that can’t sign onto broadband. That digital divide makes it harder for Alaska Natives and Native Americans living in rural areas to complete tasks online that the rest of us take for granted: paying bills, looking for a job, and communicating with each other. President Trump has promised a $1 trillion infrastructure bill. There’s no indication it will include any fixes for the problem. Some tribes are taking the solution into their own hands.
Guests:
Brian Howard (Gila River Indian Community) – researcher and policy analyst with the American Indian Policy Institute at Arizona State University
Brian Gilbert – telecommunications consultant with Young Turks Consulting
Loris Taylor (Hopi Nation) – CEO and president of Native Public Media
Break music: New Women Song (feat. Jennifer Kreisberg) (song) Cris Derksen (artist) Cris Derksen: Orchestral Powwow (album)
Congressman Raul Ruiz interview about the Tribal Digital Access Act of 2017
