PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 DA 14-1558 Released: October 28, 2014 CHAIRMAN WHEELER RENEWS FCC-NATIVE NATIONS BROADBAND TASK FORCE Today, Chairman Tom Wheeler named 31 members to the FCC-Native Nations Broadband Task Force (Task Force), representing 20 Tribal Nations and 11 Bureaus and Offices within the Federal Communications Commission (Commission). “I have been in Indian Country and personally seen the lack of services on reservations,” said Chairman Wheeler. “The voices of this Task Force are important to our efforts to close these broadband gaps and to ensure that the concerns of Tribal governments are considered at the Commission. I look forward to their contributions as we work together to bring world class connectivity to Tribal Nations.” The Task Force, which comprises elected and appointed leaders from federally-recognized Tribal governments or governmental entities and senior staff from across the Commission, was established in March, 2011. 1 The Task Force is responsible for, among other things, assisting in executing the Commission’s consultation policy, eliciting input from Tribal governments, ensuring that Tribal concerns are considered in all Commission proceedings related to broadband, developing additional recommendations for promoting broadband deployment and adoption on Tribal lands, and coordinating with Tribal Nations in their respective regions. It will continue to serve as the government-to-government advisory body in furtherance of nationwide Tribal consultation priorities and broadband policy efforts with respect to Tribal Nations. “The importance of the Task Force cannot be overstated. While many solutions have been achieved, we have much more work to do as many regions of Indian Country lag far behind the rest of the nation in broadband services. I look forward to continued close coordination with this renewed Task Force as we identify genuine solutions with their analysis and input,” said Geoffrey Blackwell, Chief of the Commission’s Office of Native Affairs and Policy, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. Chairman Wheeler also re-named Mr. Blackwell the federal co-chair of the Task Force. At its first meeting, the Tribal Nation representatives on the Task Force will elect a Tribal Nation Co-Chair. Chairman Wheeler named the following members to the Task Force representing Tribal Nations: ? Honorable Brian E. Davis, Sr.: Gila River Indian Community ? Honorable Joe Garcia: Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo ? Honorable Frankie D. Hargis: Cherokee Nation ? Honorable Michell A. Hicks: Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians ? Honorable Jefferson Keel: Chickasaw Nation ? Honorable Susan Masten: Yurok Tribe ? Honorable William M. Micklin: Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians ? Honorable Stevey Seymour: Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation 1 See Chairman Genachowski Names Members to the FCC-Native Nations Broadband Task Force, Public Notice, 26 FCC Rcd 2467 (2011); see also Statement of Policy Establishing a Government-to-Government Relationship with Indian Tribes, 16 FCC Rcd 4078, 4080 (2000); see also Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan (rel. Mar. 16, 2010) at 184 (Recommendation 9.14) available at http://www.broadband.gov/plan/. 2? Honorable George P. Tiger: Muscogee (Creek) Nation ? Howard W. Brown: Tulalip Tribes ? Godfrey Enjady: Mescalero Apache Tribe ? Valerie Fast Horse: Coeur d’Alene Tribe ? Crystal Hottowe: Makah Tribe ? Patrick Jackson: Hoopa Valley Tribe ? Christopher O. Luter: Forest County Potawatomi Community ? Matthew R. Rantanen: Pala Band of Mission Indians ? Dustin Stark: Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma ? J Scott Stewart: Tanana Chiefs Conference ? Christina St Germaine: Nez Perce Tribe ? Brian Tagaban: Navajo Nation Chairman Wheeler also named the following Task Force members from the Federal Communications Commission: ? Geoffrey Blackwell, Federal Co-Chair: Office of Native Affairs and Policy ? Jessica Almond: Wireless Telecommunications Bureau ? Peter Doyle: Media Bureau ? Michele Ellison: Office of General Counsel ? Irene Flannery: Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau ? David Furth: Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau ? Patrick Halley: Wireline Competition Bureau ? Robert Nelson: International Bureau ? Jamison Prime: Office of Engineering and Technology ? Thomas Reed: Office of Communications Business Opportunities ? Katherine Winfree: Enforcement Bureau EXEMPTION FROM THE FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT FOR “INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMUNICATION” Pursuant to the “intergovernmental communication” exemption in Sec. 204(b) of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA), 2 U.S.C. §1534(b), the Task Force will not be subject to the requirements or procedures set forth in the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C. App. 2 (1988). Section 204(b) of UMRA provides an exemption from FACA for intergovernmental communications involving meetings between Federal officials and Federal employees and “elected officers of State, local and Tribal governments (or their designated employees with authority to act on their behalf) acting in their official capacities.” Therefore, applicants for the Task Force must be individuals who satisfy these requirements. As it applies to the Task Force, because the input that Congress sought to facilitate through the intergovernmental exemption is institutional in nature, the exemption includes Federal communications with elected officers or their designated employees involved in the governmental process at the Tribal level. Before the first meeting of the Task Force, those seeking nomination as a “designated employee” should provide a letter or other documentation from the elected officer of the Tribal government for whom the employee would be acting, advising the Commission that such employee is duly authorized to act on such official’s behalf. ACCESSIBLE FORMATS To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice) or (202) 418-0432 (TTY). For further information, contact Robert Finley, Legal Advisor, Office of Native Affairs and Policy, Federal Communications Commission, 202-418-7835 (voice) or robert.finley@fcc.gov (email).