{"id":11078,"date":"2020-10-01T16:48:32","date_gmt":"2020-10-01T21:48:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/native-lawmaker-introduces-broadband-for-all\/"},"modified":"2020-10-01T16:48:34","modified_gmt":"2020-10-01T21:48:34","slug":"native-lawmaker-introduces-broadband-for-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/native-lawmaker-introduces-broadband-for-all\/","title":{"rendered":"Native lawmaker introduces \u2018Broadband for All\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

WASHINGTON \u2013 The Federal Communications Commission offer to give tribes complimentary licensing of broadband falls short of the incentive needed to provide equal access for Native and other rural constituencies, sponsors of the \u201cBroadband for All Resolution of 2020\u201d said in introducing the legislation to Congress on Sept. 23.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone in this country deserves access to reliable high-speed internet, especially during a pandemic, but I\u2019ve heard from families in my district and across the country that internet is too expensive or completely unavailable to them and the FCC hasn\u2019t taken the right steps to connect everyone no matter their background or where they live,\u201d said Pueblo Indian U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland.<\/p>\n

The resolution declares, \u201climiting access to broadband internet is a human rights violation.\u201d It aims \u201cto reaffirm basic civil and human rights protections so all people \u2014 especially low-income households, people of color, and those living in rural areas or on tribal lands \u2014 can access reliable broadband internet for basic daily activities,\u201d according to its authors.<\/p>\n

Haaland said it \u201cwill make sure kids don\u2019t fall into the homework gap, workers can telework, families have access to telemedicine, and everyone can reach important information when they need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

A representative from New Mexico, Haaland is one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress. Sharice Davids of Kansas\u00a0is the other.<\/p>\n

California Rep. Ro Khanna, who joined Haaland to introduce the legislation, said internet access \u201cshould be a human right.\u201d Despite the FCC\u2019s mandate to increase broadband access, it has still failed to make it affordable, much less universal. That needs to change.\u201d<\/p>\n

The U.N. Human Rights Council passed a resolution in 2016 calling on countries to bridge the digital divide.<\/p>\n

According to the authors of the Congressional bill, the U.N. action \u201craised global awareness that internet is not only a luxury, but a necessity that must be protected to defend freedom of expression, freedom of speech, and basic global human rights standards since technology has become a modern global necessity.\u201d<\/p>\n

They noted, \u201cInternet blackouts have encumbered the ability of people to peacefully assemble and hampered efforts to bring transparency to crackdowns on protests in democratic countries across the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Federal Communications Commission received more than 400 applications from tribes and their entities during the Feb. 2 \u2013 Sept. 2 submission period for them to qualify as licensees of their own shares of the wireless spectrum.<\/p>\n

When the agency announced on Sept. 15 that it had approved free licensing of 157 tribal government applications to take command of rural broadband internet services, it was just the beginning of challenges for licensees and others yet to be approved.<\/p>\n

First, licensees must put their spectrum to use.\u00a0 Two years after the license is granted, licensees must submit evidence that they are providing service coverage to 50 percent of the population in their license area.<\/p>\n

This FCC stipulation means that 50 percent of the population in the service area must be able to access the service; it does not require a 50 percent adoption rate.<\/p>\n

Five years after the license is granted, licensees must show that they are providing service coverage to 80 percent of the population.<\/p>\n

Licensees may lease their spectrum, and the service provided by a lessee will be counted towards the buildout requirement.<\/p>\n

The \u201cBroadband for All Resolution of 2020\u201d seeks to smooth the way for applicants by calling on the President of the United States to:<\/p>\n