The Internet has proven iteslf to be a tremendous force for positive social and economic change. Over the past two decades, it has become essential to how billions of people around the world connect, communicate, create, and collaborate, but while the Internet revolution has reached to much of the world, there are still places that have been missed. It is often surprizing for many people to learn that some of those places are here in North America – and that communities here at home could benefit the most from the Internet of opportunity.
The fact is, there is a significant digital divide in Canada and the United States (US), and this is contributing to some of the challenges that Indigenous communities are facing. To begin a conversation to address this divide, last November the Internet Society hosted the landmark Indigenous Connectivity Summit in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Nearly 200 people from across North America gathered online and in-person, to discuss and debate how best to connect Indigenous communities. At the same time a two-day pre-Summit training session was held for those Indigenous people currently operating a community network, and for those planning to deploy one.
Overall, the ICS brought together an extraordinary community of people: Indigenous-owned Internet service providers, community network manager/operators, researchers and policy makers, and Indigenous leaders.
This week we released a report outlining the results and impacts of this important event, including the benefits that the Internet can bring to Indigenous communities as described by the community at the Summit, including self-determination, culture, language preservation, economic development, health, and education. In addition, it describes the unique challenges that Indigenous communities must face to gain any sustainable connectivity, alongside recommendations on how to address those challenges in the United States (US) and Canada, including:
- Creative connectivity solutions that focus on sustainability.
- An enabling environment of supportive policies, funding opportunities, and public education.
- Capacity building and education within communities.
- Easier access to spectrum for Indigenous communities.
- Collaborative backhaul solutions founded on future-proof technology.
- Research on the state of Indigenous connectivity across North America.
The report is availble on the Internet Society’s website. The Summit would not have happened without our partners: the Internet Society New Mexico Chapter, the 1st-Mile Institute, New Mexico Techworks, and the First Mile Connectivity Consortium. Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico served as the honorary co- host of the Summit. Furthermore, this event would not have been possible without the support of its sponsors: the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the American Registry for Intenret Numbers, Google, and REDI Net. The 2017 ICS was the start of a critical conversation about how Indigenous communities can connect themselves to the Internet on their own terms. At all times in the planning of the Summit, we endeavoured to ensure that community members were driving the process. There is incredible knowledge in communities across North America. As we quickly learned as the Summit progressed, the participants were not only willing, but wanting to share that knowledge. Therefore, this report is meant to be a springboard to further those conversations and sharing about Indigenous connectivity in North America and beyond. If you want to take part, please visit the Indigenous Connectivity homepage.
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