The FCC, in an unprecedented step, hosted the first Native Nations Day under the leadership of Geoffrey Blackwell and his staff from the new FCC Office of Native Affairs and Policy.
The Office was established last year after Native Nations articulated
the need for such an office to coordinate Nation-to-Nation consultation
on communication and telecommunication regulatory items specific to the
565 American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages.
The Commission took the first steps towards meaningful consultation by
announcing the appointment of 19 elected tribal leaders and tribal
members to the Native Nations Broadband Task Force. Among those named
was Matthew Rantanen, member of Native Public Media’s Board and Director
of the Southern California Tribal Digital Village.