WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has launched the Tribal Broadband Leaders Network, a community of practitioners dedicated to expanding connectivity on tribal lands. More than 130 participants representing more than 70 tribes attended the first network meeting on Oct. 13. The Tribal Broadband Leaders Network was first announced by Secretary Raimondo on Sept. 20 at the National Tribal Broadband Summit, hosted by the Department of the Interior.
The Tribal Broadband Leaders Network will allow NTIA to receive ongoing feedback on the tribal grant program, while connecting tribal leaders across the country to share priorities and best practices, discuss emerging telecommunications policy issues, and identify engagement strategies with state broadband leaders. This forum for tribal leaders will be essential to improving communication time between tribes and the federal government.
“Our consultations with tribal leaders have been vital in shaping our Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program and our approach to connecting the unconnected on tribal lands,” said Alan Davidson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information. “The Tribal Broadband Leaders Network will allow us to continue to hear directly from tribal leaders, while connecting those on the front lines of these efforts to ensure no one is left behind.”
The new Tribal Broadband Leaders Network is modeled on two other groups that NTIA coordinates: the State Broadband Leaders Network and the Digital Equity Leaders Network. It will host monthly meetings with tribal leaders and those authorized to speak on their behalf. Invitations to join the network were sent to tribal leaders across the country.