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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (May 15, 2016)
MAY 15, 2016 Governor's Proclamation S moke S ignals 23 CTGR exploring creation of a Tribally owned telecommunications company Telecommunications — radio, television, Internet, cell phones — is quickly becoming an everyday facet of American life, right alongside many basic utilities like water and electricity. Tribes in particular have a lot of catching up to do, but a handful have tried their hands at establishing telecommuni- cations services in their respective communities, and those which have seen it through express few regrets. Grand Ronde is currently exploring the development of a possible telecom- munications company following last year's Telecommunications Assessment and Strategic Plan. Were it to proceed, this Tribally owned company would allow for the purchase of certain services at wholesale rates. What exactly does that mean? Well, utilizing the combined buying power from both the Tribal government and Spirit Mountain Casino, the Tribe could reduce current operational costs associated with services provided by CenturyLink, which is, to use a telecommunications term, the Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier. The Tribally owned phone company could irst supply phone and eventually Internet service to Tribal residents and the surrounding com- munity. Part of creating a Tribal phone company is obtaining Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) status, a certiication usually granted through either the Federal Communications Commission (more popularly known as the FCC) or the state Public Utilities Commission. The Tribe is presently in the process of developing a Tribal Telecom Full Business Plan for supplying both phone and Internet services to the Grand Ronde community. The ini- tial step of this plan was the formation of a Telecommunications Planning Committee, which irst met on April 28, 2016. The purpose of the TPC is to develop recommendations to Tribal Council for the direction of future Tribal telecommunications services. The committee is composed of representatives from nearly all departments of the Tribal government and the Spirit Moun- tain Information Technologies Department. The TPC acknowledges the importance of Tribal and community resident involvement, one of the main reasons for this announcement. Such partici- pation in the process, not to mention the future direction of Tribal commu- nications services, is crucial for the development of the Full Business Plan that addresses the needs of the Grand Ronde community. Grand Ronde businesses and residents interested in participating in this process can e-mail TPC@GrandRonde.org. For those businesses or residents who request it, we can supply monthly reports from the TPC. We would also like to get feedback from residents about their current phone and Internet service. Follow future issues of Smoke Signals for updates on this project as it moves forward. Ad created by George Valdez
