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