White House Report Says FCC Could Do More to Promote Voting in Tribal Areas
The Interagency Steering Group on Native American Voting Rights said Thursday “more could be done” by the FCC and other policymakers to promote voting on Tribal lands. The FCC auctioned off spectrum licenses and USF support “to build out broadband…
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capacity to millions of unserved locations, but could do more to integrate Tribal governments into the process, to ensure better communication and relationships between the auction winners and the Tribal communities they serve,” the report said. To the extent states deploy federal funding or funding of their own to promote broadband in Tribal areas “it would be advisable to similarly incorporate Tribal governments into the process of assessing needs and selection procedures, as well as bid evaluation and contract approval.” When the FCC issues spectrum licenses to Tribal governments it should offer “the technical and grantmaking assistance necessary for Tribal governments to capitalize effectively on the spectrum availability,” the report said. Information designed for viewing on desktop computers “may not be effective for eligible voters who are primarily online through smartphones, no matter how robust their connectivity or capacity,” it said: State and local officials should ensure “their election-related applications and information are also optimized (and translated) for mobile, in order to reach Native American voters where they are.”