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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:  September  21,  2004 
 CHAIRMAN  POWELL  APPLAUDS  OPENING  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM  OF  THE  AMERICAN  INDIAN 
 Washington,  DC  –  The  latest  addition  to  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  the  National  Museum  of  the  American  Indian  (NMAI)  opens  in  Washington,  DC,  today. 
 FCC  Chairman  Michael  K.  Powell  has  released  the  following  statement: 
 “The  National  Museum  of  the  American  Indian  is  a  beautiful  and  welcome  addition  to  the  Mall.  It  will  serve  as  an  important  celebration  of  the  past,  present,  and  future 
 heritage  of  the  Western  Hemisphere’s  native  peoples.  It  will  educate  us  on  their  rich  heritage  and  history,  the  beauty  of  native  cultures  and  will  help  to  dispel  common 
 misconceptions  and  stereotypes  of  American  Indians. 
 In  my  seven  years  at  the  FCC,  particularly  in  the  almost-  four  years  that  I  have  been  chairman,  I  have  traveled  across  the  country  visiting  Indians  on  tribal  lands,  working  in 
 partnership  through  our  Indian  Telecommunications  Initiatives  program  to  ensure  that  people  living  on  tribal  lands  have  quality  and  affordable  access  to  all 
 telecommunications  goods  and  services.  We  have  worked  together  on  issues  ranging  from  tower  siting  to  telemedicine  and  distance  learning. 


 These  visits  have  given  me  an  enormous  appreciation  for  the  history  and  culture  of  the  American  Indian  tribes  that  will  be  so  powerfully  presented  and  preserved  at  the  new 
 museum.  As  a  nearby  neighbor  to  the  museum,  I  look  forward  to  taking  advantage  of  this  important  resource  and  opportunity  to  learn  more  about  America’s  first  citizens  and 
 urge  my  colleagues  to  do  the  same.” 
 -  FCC  - 
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