Broadband availability on tribal lands discussed at second broadband roundtable
At the second NTIA broadband roundtable in Las Vegas on March 17, the discussion revolved around reaching vulnerable populations, selection criteria and definitions of "broadband", "underserved" and "unserved".
Panelists used Nevada as a case study for the digital divide, as Jeff Sandstrom of the Nevada Commission on Economic Development pointed out that the majority of rural Nevada doesn't have access to broadband Internet.
Karen Twenhafel of Telecom Consulting Service added that that at least 29 percent of Native American Tribal Lands do not have access to broadband technology. Twenhafel said:
"We can no longer have applications that serve surrounding lands, but not the tribal lands."
Panelists agreed that the infrastructure built using funds from the economic stimulus plan must have a long shelf life - rather than using technology that will be outdated in several years.
At the panel on selection criteria, there was some disagreement on what kind of innovative programs would make best use of the funding - similar to Monday's panel in DC.
Some urged a focus on community anchor institutions - including libraries, community colleges and health care organizations. Others felt that money should focus more on home broadband adoption and deployment.
For those unable to make this or other roundtables, the NTIA is requesting online comment from the public on how to allocate money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Final comments are due April 13.
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