Column: Analog tribes in a digital economy

Tex “Red Tipped Arrow” Hall | USATODAY

If 90% of public schools in the United States lacked Internet access, there would be a national call to action. If 90% of any ethnic group in the country was not connected to the Internet, the backlash would be immense. In 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a report that estimated that 90% of Indian country lacks access to the Internet, and usage rates are as low as 5% in some areas. Would you like to know what happened?

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) did a brief news story.

We commend PBS for covering this issue; but the failure to act by policymakers, advocacy groups and technology companies to fix this problem is unsettling. This statistic is another in a long line of challenges that plague Native Americans.

Every social indicator tells us there is a crisis in Indian country. The poverty rate of Native Americans is around 25%. Many tribes throughout the nation have unemployment rates of 60% to as high as 80%. Over 20% of Native American reservation households make less than $5,000 annually while only 6% of the overall US population has an annual income of less than $5,000, with less than 30% having access to health insurance. Native American populations have the highest incidence of many diseases, infant mortality, suicide, substance abuse and accidental death compared to all other ethnic groups in the United States.

Many, if not all, of these factors can be tied to the lack of economic development in Indian country. The Federal government provides funding for tribal economies but it doesn't even address half of the unmet needs of our tribes. However, with dwindling budgets and growing deficits, budget allocations to reservations have been

declining each year. Cuts to government spending are impacting all sectors of our nation, but nowhere as much as Native Americans. Many tribes run out of funds for health services in July every year.

All this paints a grim picture of life for future generations of Native Americans. However, the statistic that 90% lack access to the Internet also points to a massive potential for growth.

Unlocking Indian country's potential for development in the virtual economy could provide a lifeline. Some groups are working to bridge the digital divide throughout Indian country. The Inter-Tribal Economic Alliance (ITEA) was formed in 2001 by several federally recognized tribes, Alaska native corporations and native Hawaiians, including the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, to promote economic development in Native American communities, primarily in the Internet economy. Since 2009, the New American Foundation's Open Technology Imitative has partnered with Native Public Media to increase access to the Internet for tribes throughout the United States.

Additionally, just this year the Native American Financial Services Association (NAFSA) has been formed to encourage tribes to start companies that offer online financial services from reservations. The tribal gaming organizations have begun researching options for offering online gaming industries that could increase revenue for tribes.

All of these developments are encouraging, but more must be done. The key issue is that of access to the digital economy. The more tribes that are connected to the Internet the more they will be able to participate in the virtual economy.

The federal government has a role to play in this process. Lawmakers and administration officials need to make improving tribal access to the Internet a top priority in the coming years. The government must encourage access while remaining respectful of tribal sovereignty.

If only 10 percent of Native Americans are accessing the Internet it should be labeled a tragedy. But it should also be viewed as an opportunity to find out what the other 90% are capable of doing. These initiatives will go a long way towards developing tribal economies and creating jobs in Indian and Native communities.

Tex Hall is chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation located in North Dakota.

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