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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

Education and student in computer lab and two people speaking in field

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

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