Federal Communications Commission FCC 18-37
STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER JESSICA ROSENWORCEL
APPROVING IN PART AND DISSENTING IN PART
Re: Connect America Fund, WC Docket No. 10-90 
Native Americans should not be the last Americans to benefit from the opportunities of the digital 
age.  But according to the most recent Commission data, more than one in three residents on Tribal lands 
lack access to broadband.  On Tribal lands in rural areas, the numbers are even more troubling, with over 
half of residents without access to broadband.  This is shameful.  It requires attention.  It requires a plan.
What we have here is not a full plan.  We provide a bit of relief to a handful of carriers serving a 
subset of Tribal lands.  These providers will be partially shielded from the effect of the operational 
expense caps put in place two years ago.  In practice, it will allow a few carriers to keep the lights on and 
ensure their staff can come in each day.  This action is limited and imprecise.  But I support it, because 
the challenge of providing service on Tribal lands is so great that the power of even small measures is 
real.   
I dissent in part, however, because there is so much more to do and I regret that we are not doing 
it here and now.  Over the last two years, the Commission has had an active proceeding concerning the 
application of a Tribal Broadband Factor for legacy carriers that would more broadly assist with 
deployment in Tribal lands.  The record is complete.  The data is in.  It’s past time for the Commission to 
resolve what is outstanding and develop a bigger plan to address the unacceptable state of broadband 
deployment on Tribal lands.