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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:  June  25,  2004  Rosemary  Kimball  at  (202)  418-  0511 
 e-  mail:  rosemary.  kimball@  fcc.  gov 


 FCC  PARTICIPATED  IN  INAUGURAL  INFORMATION  TECHNOLOGY  SUMMIT  OF  THE  NAVAJO  NATION  HELD  JUNE  14-  17,  2004,  IN  ALBUQUERQUE,  NEW  MEXICO 
 FCC  Also  Participated  in  Meeting  of  the  Navajo  Nation  Telecommunications  Regulatory  Commission 
 Washington,  D.  C.  -  As  part  of  the  FCC’s  Indian  Telecommunications  Initiatives  program  (ITI),  staff  from  the  Consumer  &  Governmental  Affairs  Bureau  (CGB) 
 participated  in  the  Navajo  Nation  Information  Technology  Summit  (Summit),  held  June  14-  17  in  Albuquerque,  New  Mexico.  The  inaugural  Summit  was  designed  to  bring 
 together  all  Navajo  Nation  stakeholders  and  decision  makers  to  develop  a  comprehensive,  coordinated  approach  to  information  technology  management  and 
 services  on  the  Nation. 
 CGB  Deputy  Bureau  Chief  Kris  Monteith  and  Sue  McNeil,  Chief  of  CGB’s  Office  of  Intergovernmental  Affairs,  presented  on  a  variety  of  issues  and  activities  that  the 
 Federal  Communications  Commission  has  undertaken  that  are  of  interest  to  the  Navajo  Nation  as  it  seeks  to  stimulate  deployment  of  basic  and  advanced  telecommunications 
 infrastructure  and  technology.  Monteith  and  McNeil  also  participated  in  roundtable  workshop  sessions  with  representatives  of  the  Navajo  Nation  government,  as  well  as 
 industry,  to  discuss  infrastructure  deployment  challenges  and  identify  possible  solutions.  In  addition,  Monteith  and  McNeil  met  briefly  with  Navajo  Nation  President  Joe  Shirley  to 
 discuss  opportunities  to  continue  to  partner  with  the  Nation  to  stimulate  deployment  of  telecommunications  services  on  the  reservation. 


 Following  the  Summit,  Monteith  addressed  the  Navajo  Nation  Telecommunications  Regulatory  Commission  (NNTRC)  on  recent  FCC  policy  initiatives 
 and  activities  of  interest  to  tribes.  The  report,  delivered  during  the  June  meeting  of  the  NNTRC,  was  made  in  follow-  up  to  a  meeting  FCC  staff  had  with  the  NNTRC  last 
 September.  Among  other  things,  it  included  discussion  regarding  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 
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 federal  government  programs  affect  and  benefit  communities  and  consumers  in  Indian  Country. 
 The  FCC’s  ITI  is  comprehensive  program  that  seeks  to  promote  understanding,  cooperation  and  trust  among  Tribes  and  Tribal  organizations;  the  FCC  and  other 
 governmental  agencies;  and  the  telecommunications  industry.  The  ITI  program  seeks  to  build  partnerships,  identify  potential  solutions,  and  bring  affordable,  quality 
 telecommunications  services  to  Indian  Country.  The  ITI  program’s  goals  -  to  increase  the  telephone  penetration  rate;  facilitate  the  deployment  of  telecommunications 
 infrastructure  on  tribal  lands;  and  inform  Tribes  about  federal  government  programs,  including  Universal  Service  Fund  programs  -  are  undertaken  in  Indian  Country  by  the 
 FCC  through  targeted  and  effective  Tribal  outreach,  coordination  and  consultation. 


 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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