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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:  September  16,  2003  Rosemary  Kimball  at  (202)  418-  0511 
 E-  mail:  rosemary.  kimball@  fcc.  gov. 
 COMMISSION  TO  PARTICIPATE  IN  TRIBAL  MEETINGS  AS  PART  OF  INDIAN  TELECOMMUNICATIONS  INITIATIVES  PROGRAM 
 Consumer  &  Governmental  Affairs  Bureau  to  Participate  in  Meetings  with  Hopi  Tribe,  Navajo  Nation,  and  Affiliated  Tribes  of  Northwest  Indians; 
 K.  Dane  Snowden  to  Address  ATNI  General  Session 


 Washington,  DC  –  In  the  next  two  weeks,  the  FCC’s  Consumer  &  Governmental  Affairs  Bureau,  as  part  of  its  Indian  Telecommunications  Initiatives  (ITI)  program,  will  be 
 meeting  with  leaders  of  the  Hopi  Tribe  and  the  Navajo  Nation  in  Arizona,  and  attending  50  th  Annual  Conference  of  the  Affiliated  Tribes  of  Northwest  Indians  in  Pendleton,  OR. 


 On  September  16  CGB  Bureau  Chief  K.  Dane  Snowden  and  members  of  his  senior  staff  will  meet  with  Hopi  Tribal  leaders  to  discuss  the  current  telecommunications  network  and 
 services  on  the  Hopi  Reservation;  the  effect  that  cell  towers  have  on  migratory  birds;  the  visions,  goals  and  plans  for  Hopi  telecommunications;  and  what  the  FCC  can  do  to  help  achieve  these 
 goals. 
 On  September  17  Snowden  and  the  staff  will  tour  the  Navajo  Nation  tribal  lands;  meet  with  the  Navajo  Nation  Government  Service  Committee  and  Navajo  Nation  Education 
 Department.  Discussions  with  the  Education  Department  will  include  Head  Start  telecom  planning.  The  following  day  they  will  meet  with  the  Navajo  Nation  Telecommunications 
 Regulatory  Commission,  Government  Divisions  and  Programs  Committee,  and  Natural  Resource  Committee.  Among  the  areas  that  will  be  discussed  are  interactive  government-  to-  government 
 consultation  on  federal  telecom  regulatory  matters;  discussions  of  the  FCC’s  ITI  and  the  Navajo  Nation’s  telecommunications  regulatory  priorities  and  how  different  technologies,  federal  and 
 tribal  policies  and  regulations  and  federal  government  programs  affect  and  benefit  communities  and  consumers  in  Indian  Country. 


 The  following  week,  on  September  22  and  23,  they  attend  the  50  th  Annual  Conference  of  the  Affiliated  Tribes  of  Northwest  Indians  (ATNI)  in  Pendleton,  OR. 
 Established  in  1953  by  Tribal  leaders,  ATNI  is  a  non-  profit  organization  that  represents  54  tribes  from  primarily  Oregon,  Washington,  Idaho,  with  additional  member  Tribes  in  Alaska, 
 Montana,  Nevada,  and  Northern  California. 
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 CGB  staff  will  attend  a  session  of  the  Telecommunications  Subcommittee  and  Dane  Snowden  will  address  the  General  Assembly.  In  his  remarks,  he  will  give  an  overview  of  the 
 FCC  and  explain  how  the  public  can  participate  in  FCC  processes.  He  will  give  an  update  on  the  FCC’s  ITI  and  other  FCC  initiatives  that  are  of  particular  interest  to  Indians. 


 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. 
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