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 NEWS  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 For  Immediate  Release:  News  Media  Contact:  August  25,  2003  Rosemary  Kimball  at  (202)  418-  0511 
 Email:  Rosemary.  Kimball@  fcc.  gov 


 FCC  CONTINUES  FOCUS  ON  INDIAN  TELECOM  INITIATIVES  WITH  VISITS  TO  STANDING  ROCK  SIOUX  AND  CHEYENNE  RIVER  SIOUX 
 Washington,  DC  –  The  FCC  continued  outreach  to  Indian  Country  as  part  of  its  Indian  Telecommunications  Initiatives  (ITI)  with  recent  visits  to  two  federally-recognized 
 tribes  in  rural  America.  On  August  13,  Consumer  &  Governmental  Affairs  (CGB)  staff  met  with  Tribal  leaders  and  members  of  the  Standing  Rock  Sioux 
 Tribe  in  Ft.  Yates,  ND  to  discuss  telecommunications  initiatives  on  the  Standing  Rock  Reservation.  CGB  staff  also  toured  the  reservation  to  view  first-  hand  the 
 existing  telecommunications  infrastructure  and  learn  more  about  the  Tribe’s  goal  of  bringing  increased  basic  and  advanced  telecommunications  services  to  its 
 members.  Tribal  leaders  view  access  to  adequate  telecommunications  services  as  vital  to  promoting  the  Tribe’s  health,  education,  welfare  and  economic  development 
 objectives. 
 CGB’s  visit  to  the  Standing  Rock  Reservation  is  part  of  the  Commission’s  ongoing  efforts  to  promote  a  government-  to-  government  relationship  with  Indian 
 tribes  and  follow  the  specific  principles  and  goals  as  set  forth  in  the  Commission’s  June  2000  Policy  Statement  Establishing  a  Government-  to-  Government 
 Relationship  with  Indian  Tribes.  At  the  request  of  the  Tribe,  CGB  staff  met  with  Standing  Rock  Sioux  Tribe  Chairman  Charles  W.  Murphy,  members  of  the  Standing 
 Rock  Sioux  Tribal  Council  and  other  Tribal  members  on  a  government-  to-government  basis  to  discuss  the  Tribe’s  recently-  enacted  telecommunications  utility 
 code,  following  on  similar  meetings  with  state  officials  earlier  in  the  week. 
 CGB  staff  also  visited  the  Cheyenne  River  Sioux  Reservation  and  met  with  Cheyenne  River  Sioux  Tribe  Telephone  Authority  (CRSTTA)  General  Manager,  J.  D. 
 Williams  and  members  of  his  staff.  The  100%  tribally-  owned  telecommunications  company  provides  telephone  and  internet  services  throughout  the  reservation.  CGB 
 Staff  toured  CRSTTA’s  facilities  and  those  of  Lakota  Technologies,  Inc.,  a  tribally-owned  venture  that  includes  call  center  and  document-  imaging  operations.  CGB 
 staff  learned  how  the  Cheyenne  River  Sioux  Tribe  is  using  its  telecommunications  infrastructure  and  services  to  bring  new  enterprises  and  jobs  to  its  Reservation. 
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 The  FCC’s  ITI  is  comprehensive  program  that  seeks  to  promote  understanding,  cooperation  and  trust  among  American  Indian  tribes,  Alaska  Native 
 villages,  and  tribal  organizations;  the  FCC  and  other  governmental  agencies;  and  the  telecommunications  industry.  The  ITI  program  is  designed  to  build  partnerships 
 to  target  specific  concerns,  identify  potential  solutions,  and  bring  affordable,  quality  telecommunications  services  to  Indian  Country.  Specifically,  ITI  seeks  to  increase 
 the  telephone  penetration  rate  among  tribal  communities;  facilitate  the  deployment  of  telecommunications  infrastructure  in  Indian  Country  necessary  to  provide 
 telecommunications  services;  and  inform  tribes  and  tribal  consumers  about  financial  support  available  through  federal  government  programs,  including  Universal  Service 
 Fund  programs. 


 For  information  on  this  and  other  topics  of  interest  to  tribes,  visit  the  FCC’s  Tribal  Initiatives  Web  site  at  www.  fcc.  gov/  indians. 


 For  information  on  this  and  other  topics  of  interest  to  consumers,  visit  our  Web  site  at  www.  fcc.  gov/  cgb 
 To  receive  information  on  this  and  other  FCC  consumer  topics  through  the  Commission’s  electronic  subscriber  service,  click  on 
 www.  fcc.  gov/  cgb/  emailservice.  html. 
 -  FCC  - 
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