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OCTOBER 23, 2000

The Department of Commerce's week-long digital inclusion tour wrapped up on Friday with a trip to Indian Country in New Mexico and the presentation of almost $200,000 in grants.

Secretary Norman Y. Mineta spent the day in three locations: the Santa Fe Indian School, the National Indian Telecommunications Institute (NITI), and Cochiti Pueblo. He was joined by Federal Communications Commissioner Gloria Tristani.

At a private breakfast at the Indian School, Mineta addressed the school's owners: the Governors of the 19 Pueblos. There, he termed the problem of technology access the "dial-tone divide," referring to the fact that some communities have problems getting basic services.

But he hoped a new $120,000 grant to the All Indian Pueblo Council (AIPC), a non-profit organization representing all 19 Pueblos, would help change the problems with infrastructure. AIPC plans to use the grant to expand its web offerings and develop an overall telecommunications strategy.

At the meeting, another grant of $75,000 was also announced, this one to The Enterprise Foundation. The grant will be used by Enterprise as part of its new Community Development Finance Institution, a non-profit that will help tribal entrepreneurs obtain the financial and technical assistance they need.

Enterprise recently helped Santo Domingo Pueblo finance its recently completed housing development, which Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Andrew Cuomo recently dedicated. HUD is also hosting a website called Native eDGE, or Native economic Development Guidance and Empowerment, which Mineta touted as the "one-stop shop" tribes can use to spur economic development in their communities.

Tribal entrepreneurs can register with the site and use its personalization features to find appropriate programs and financial resources.

After leaving the Indian School, Mineta visited NITI headquarters, where he took a tour of the Native-run and Native-owned organization. He received language and cultural preservation demos created by students at NITI's training center.

Mineta wrapped the day up by making his first visit to Cochiti Pueblo, located southwest of Santa Fe. He took a tour of the Pueblo and and visited the Cochiti Pueblo Tribal Library.

Read Mineta's Remarks:
Remarks by Secretary of Commerce Norman Y. Mineta At Breakfast With Tribal Governors (October 20, 2000)
Remarks by Secretary of Commerce Norman Y. Mineta - Tech Demonstration Event at National Indian Telecommunications Institute (NITI) (October 20, 2000)
Remarks by Secretary of Commerce Norman Y. Mineta - Tour of Cochiti Pueblo (October 20, 2000)

Relevant Links:
The Department of Commerce - www.doc.gov
The All Indian Pueblo Council - www.aipcinc.com
The Enterprise Foundation - www.enterprisefoundation.org The National Indian Technology Institute - www.niti.org
Native eDGE - nativeedge.hud.gov

Related Stories:
Colleges receive recycled equipment (Tech 10/19)
Indian Country part of technology tour (Tech 10/18)
Indians left out of digital divide (Tech 10/17)
HUD launches housing programs (Money Matters 10/16)