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2023 Center for Indian Country Development Webinar Series: Nuts, Bolts, and Cables: Opportunities in Tribal Broadband
October 16, 2023 @ 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm CDT

We invite you to join us October 16 for a conversation about the research on tribal broadband and opportunities for tribes to improve their communities’ Internet access. This is the third event in the Center for Indian Country Development’s (CICD’s) 2023 webinar series: Cultivating Native Economies in the 21st Century. The series provides tribal leaders, policymakers, and practitioners with information they can use to strengthen and expand Indian Country economic prosperity.
Internet access connects communities to economic opportunity and vital services. Research from CICD has found that tribal areas have inadequate access to high-speed Internet, known as broadband. Today, new funding and partnership possibilities are opening opportunities for tribes to improve their communities’ digital infrastructure. Seizing these opportunities requires accurate, comprehensive data on the state of broadband across Indian Country.
Our October 16 webinar will feature research on the tribal digital divide and information on modern broadband policies and programs. Tribal broadband practitioners and federal policymakers will discuss data challenges as well as opportunities for tribal governments to advance their service networks. Presenters and panelists will also explore the connection between tribes’ ability to make decisions about their digital infrastructure and tribal sovereignty. Participants will have the opportunity to share questions as part of a live question-and-answer session.
The event is held in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and the American Indian Policy Institute at Arizona State University.
We hope you’ll be part of this important conversation.
Speakers
Geoffrey Blackwell (Muscogee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Omaha), Co-Chair, Economic, Finance, and Community Development Committee and Technology and Telecommunications Subcommittee, National Congress of American Indians
Valerie Fast Horse (Coeur d’Alene Tribe), Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Casey Lozar (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), CICD, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Traci Morris (Chickasaw), American Indian Policy Institute, Arizona State University
Matthew Rantanen (Cree), Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association and Tribal Delight Village
Steven Shepelwich, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
H Trostle (Cherokee Nation), CICD, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Danae Wilson (Nez Perce), White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Agenda
2:00-2:10 pm CT
Welcome and Introductory Remarks
Speaker: Casey Lozar (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), CICD, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
2:10-2:15 pm CT
Opening Blessing
2:15-2:20 pm CT
Tribal Broadband History and Current Funding
Presenter: H Trostle (Cherokee Nation), CICD, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
3:50-4:20 pm CT
Panel: Federal Contracting and Tribal Economic Development
Moderator: H Trostle (Cherokee Nation), CICD, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Panelists:
- Geoffrey Blackwell (Muscogee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Omaha), National Congress of American Indians
- Traci Morris (Chickasaw), American Indian Policy Institute, Arizona State University
2:45-3:10 pm CT
Nuts, Bolts, and Cables of Network Sovereignty
Moderator: Steven Shepelwich, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Panelists:
- Valerie Fast Horse (Coeur d’Alene Tribe), Coeur d’Alene Tribe
- Matthew Rantan (Cree), Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association and Tribal Digital Village
- Danae Wilson (Nez Perce), White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
3:10-3:25 pm CT
Audience Q&A
Moderator: H Trostle (Cherokee Nation), CICD, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
3:25-3:30 pm CT
Closing Remarks and Thank You
Speaker: H Trostle (Cherokee Nation), CICD, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis





