FCC Chairman Wheeler Renews FCC-Native Nations Broadband Task Force

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler named 31 members to the FCC-Native Nations Broadband Task Force, representing 20 Tribal Nations and 11 Bureaus and Offices within the FCC.

The Task Force, which comprises elected and appointed leaders from federally-recognized Tribal governments or governmental entities and senior staff from across the Commission, was established in March, 2011. The Task Force is responsible for, among other things, assisting in executing the Commission’s consultation policy, eliciting input from Tribal governments, ensuring that Tribal concerns are considered in all Commission proceedings related to broadband, developing additional recommendations for promoting broadband deployment and adoption on Tribal lands, and coordinating with Tribal Nations in their respective regions. It will continue to serve as the government-to-government advisory body in furtherance of nationwide Tribal consultation priorities and broadband policy efforts with respect to Tribal Nations.

Chairman Wheeler named the following members to the Task Force representing Tribal Nations:

• Honorable Brian E. Davis, Sr.: Gila River Indian Community
• Honorable Joe Garcia: Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo
• Honorable Frankie D. Hargis: Cherokee Nation
• Honorable Michell A. Hicks: Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
• Honorable Jefferson Keel: Chickasaw Nation
• Honorable Susan Masten: Yurok Tribe
• Honorable William M. Micklin: Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians
• Honorable Stevey Seymour: Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
• Honorable George P. Tiger: Muscogee (Creek) Nation
• Howard W. Brown: Tulalip Tribes
• Godfrey Enjady: Mescalero Apache Tribe
• Valerie Fast Horse: Coeur d’Alene Tribe
• Crystal Hottowe: Makah Tribe
• Patrick Jackson: Hoopa Valley Tribe
• Christopher O. Luter: Forest County Potawatomi Community
• Matthew R. Rantanen: Pala Band of Mission Indians
• Dustin Stark: Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
• J Scott Stewart: Tanana Chiefs Conference
• Christina St Germaine: Nez Perce Tribe
• Brian Tagaban: Navajo Nation

Chairman Wheeler also named the following Task Force members from the Federal Communications Commission:

• Geoffrey Blackwell, Federal Co-Chair: Office of Native Affairs and Policy
• Jessica Almond: Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
• Peter Doyle: Media Bureau
• Michele Ellison: Office of General Counsel
• Irene Flannery: Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau
• David Furth: Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau
• Patrick Halley: Wireline Competition Bureau
• Robert Nelson: International Bureau
• Jamison Prime: Office of Engineering and Technology
• Thomas Reed: Office of Communications Business Opportunities
• Katherine Winfree: Enforcement Bureau