Posted by MuralNet on Tuesday, June 16, 2020
FCC grants no-cost broadband spectrum licenses to 11 Arizona tribes
Friday, October 30, 2020
Cronkite News
WASHINGTON – The Federal Communications Commission has granted broadband spectrum licenses to 11 Arizona tribes in what FCC Chairman Ajit Pai called “a major step forward in our efforts to close the digital divide on Tribal lands.”
The awards,
announced last week, were the result of a “first of its kind” Rural Tribal Priority Window that gave tribes the chance to apply for and receive spectrum licenses at no cost. Those licenses – which can be used for high-speed wireless broadband – are usually auctioned off to the highest bidder.
The licenses “will open the door to economic growth and allow tribal families to work and learn remotely, access telehealth services, and stay connected to loved ones,” Rep. Tom O’Halleran, D-Sedona, said in a statement Wednesday.
The licenses give tribes “exclusive use of up to 117.5 megahertz of 2.5 GHz (gigahertz) band spectrum” they can use to get their communities connected. They will also give tribes a potential revenue stream, making them less dependent on private firms that are not always interested in developing the infrastructure to extend access to rural areas.
Note: This story originally appeared on Cronkite News. It is published via a Creative Commons license. Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

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