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Benton Foundation
“The mission of the Benton Foundation is to articulate
a public interest vision for the digital age and to demonstrate
the value of communications for solving social problems.” Their
1999 report, “Native Networking: Telecommunications
and Information Technology in Indian Country” can be
found at http://www.benton.org/publibrary/native/indexnew.html.
A brief section of that report (PDF file requires download)
lists Native and Native-focused technology and telecommunications
businesses at
http://www.benton.org/publibrary/native/information-teleco.pdf
Center
for International Development at Harvard University
"Community
Internet Access in Rural Areas: Solving the Economic
Sustainability Puzzle" (PDF file requires
download) is an informative chapter of a larger work
entitled, "The
Global Competitiveness Report", published
by Harvard in 2002.
Federal Communications
Commission
The FCC’s Tribal Homepage is located at http://www.fcc.gov/indians/ The
site presents a lot of information about regulatory
matters, financial assistance, and current events.
Finance
Project
The Finance Project is a non-profit policy research,
technical assistance and information organization.
The “Digital Divide” is discussed on their
website at http://www.financeproject.org/digdividehome.htm
Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations
Is information and communications technology "infrastructure"?
"Of course, investment in telecommunications development must be weighted
against needs of investment in other parts of the infrastructure, such as roads,
railways, water supply and electrification. When doing this, it should be born
in mind that information is not only a non-polluting, renewable, but continuously
growing resource. Today, information is increasing exponentially at a tremendous
speed; instant contacts between millions of people through computer networks
trigger chain reactions, not unlike nuclear reactions. Access to this global
resource is becoming the driving energy of development, and is as important as
access to roads and to electrical power. IT and global telecommunication and
computer networks will have the same, if not greater, impact on society, as the
invention of electricity. In the rich world it will soon become as cheap and
easy to plug into the global information resource when one needs to know something
or wishes to share knowledge with someone, as it is to connect to and use electrical
power to shave or vacuum. Moreover, telecommunications may be considered as the "infrastructure
of the infrastructure", as it provides tools for the development and efficient
use of other parts of the infrastructure." For more, see http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/FAOINFO/SUSTDEV/CDdirect/CDre0028.htm
Gila River
Telecommunications, Inc.
An award-winning Native American-owned telecommunications
provider lauded in a September 2003 article at http://www.gilariverdevelopment.com/news.htm
National Congress
of American Indians
NCAI has a subcommittee on telecommunication
and technology. You’ll find their statement
about telecommunications and technology at http://www.ncai.org/main/pages/issues/community_development/telecom_tech.asp
National Indian
Telecommunications Institute
"NITI is a Non-profit organization using electronic tools to preserve our
past and teach our children."
National
Tribal Justice Resource Center
Tribal court technology grant sample (PDF file requires download)
at
http://www.tribalresourcecenter.org/resources/funding/bja/sample3.pdf
Pinal-Gila
Community Telecom Assessment Partnership
An interagency infrastructure inventory and planning
project involving counties, tribes, and other institutions
is summarized at http://co.pinal.az.us/IT/PGCTAPP
Seminole
Tribe of Florida
The Seminole Tribe’s web-based “Marketplace
Online Shopping Plaza” offers products including
authentic handmade arts and crafts at http://www.seminoletribe.com/marketplace/
S&K
Technologies
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ technology
company, S&K Technologies, offers technology solutions
to the government and private sector. Details about
S&K’s U.S. Small Business Administration
8(a) status are presented at (PDF file requires download)
at http://www.sktcorp.com/pdf/skt_8a_contracting.pdf.
The Montana Department of Commerce solicited a study
of the Tribe’s economic and social conditions;
see http://www.inlandnwregion.org/Phase1-2MT-CS.html
Telework Web Sites (most technology related):
Telecommuting Jobs For
the "work at home workforce."
Brain Bid "The
free agent virtual campus."
Codelance "Networking
programmers with projects."
Looksurf Freelance: "Networking
freelancers designers, programmers and customers."
Project Firm: “We
need Freelancers! Our site is devoted to freelance writers,
graphic designers and web application developers who provide
ProjectFirm.com with advice and services developing and
building amazing web sites. We quickly define and build
from 2 to 5 major web sites a month - primarily in our
pajamas, at our own homes, across the good old USA.”
Scriptlance:
Designers and Programmers
Smarterwork: "Providing
access to high quality local and global expertise."
Tlingit-Haida
Indian Tribes
The Central Council of the Tlingit-Haida Indian Tribes
of Alaska diversified their services and partnerships to
include technology services. More details about their success
in the technology industry can be found in their December
2002 newsletter, pages 1 and 12 (PDF file requires download)
at http://www.tlingit-haida.org/pdf/newletters/December%202002.pdf
Tribal Virtual Network
Five tribal organizations, in partnership with the
University of New Mexico and a grant from the Department
of Commerce, are the
focus of a 2003 report concerning technology and Native American
communities, “Communities Collaborating to Bridge the Digital
Divide: The Tribal Virtual Network” (PDF file requires download)
at
http://www.sc-conference.org/sc2003/paperpdfs/scgs110.pdf
Tulalip
Tribes
The Tulalip Tribes of the Puget Sound area formed “Tulalip
Technology Leap” – a program that’s
tackling the tribal technology infrastructure needs
in the Pacific Northwest; for more information, see http://www.tulaliptechleap.com/
U.S. Department
of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities
Service provides rural development support including
grants for distance learning and telemedicine. Their
Telecommunications Program is located on the web
at http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/index.htm and
their 2004 telecommunications initiatives can be
found at http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/initiatives/index_initiatives.htm
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