By John T. Moore

Programs being introduced to bridge the "digital divide" in Native American tribal communities must take into consideration a host of geographic, economic and social factors before they can truly be effective. This is one of the findings of "Native Americans and the Digital Divide," a new report from the Benton Foundation.

In many cases, technologies such as wireless and satellite communications can take the place of traditional forms of telecommunication that are difficult to get to tribal lands because of geographic barriers. Although these new technologies could do the job, the report indicates these communities don't have the economic reserves to pay for these new tools.

The Benton report cited a U.S. Commerce Department study called "Assessment of Technology Infrastructure in Native Communities," which describes the Catch-22 that most tribes face. These communities have a weak economic base that makes it difficult for them to pay for new communications infrastructures. At the same time, the lack of communications technology "undermines successful economic development."

Even when a communications network is already in place, large geographic distances and scattered populations mean many Native American communities still can't use them due to the high cost of a simple telephone connection.

The typical reservation household pays $100 per month for basic monthly telephone service, according to the report. That doesn't include long-distance service, which averages an additional $126 per month.

The Benton report cites "Falling Through the Net III," the most recent study of American's access to telecommunications services done by the National Telecommunications Information Administration. It reports that 16 percent of Native American homes do not have telephones, compared to only 6 percent of non-Native American households.

When it comes to Internet connections, 19 percent of Native Americans are online, while 29.8 percent of white households are connected. African Americans and Hispanics have the least number of households connected to the Internet, at 11 percent and 13 percent respectively, the NTIA study indicates.

However, the number of rural Native American households connected to the Internet falls to 9 percent, while nearly 18 percent of rural white households have Internet connections.

Many Native Americans are able to access the Internet at tribal libraries, schools and health clinics, the Benton report states. Nearly 90 percent of all schools and libraries in these areas are online.

Public and private efforts have helped boost that statistic. As an example, the Benton report highlighted a program of the Bureau of Indian Affairs called "Access Native American.". The project connects bureau schools to the Department of Interior's own network.

NASA also is helping develop technology in tribal communities through its "Electronic Pathways: Native American Communities Alliance and Technology Project." It creates alliances between communities and schools, to develop plans for how communities can further education and technology.

One of the best prospects for closing the technology gap in Native American communities is the creation of tribal-owned telephone companies, the Benton report states. The companies have been financed through loans to five tribal entities from the Rural Utility Service of the U.S. Agriculture Department.

Receiving loans were Gila River Telecommunications, Tohono O'odham Utility Authority, Fort Mojave Telecommunications, Cheyenne River Sioux Telephone Authority and San Carlos Apache Telecommunications Utility. These groups will provide telephone service to 8,000 subscribers.

Additionally, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community of the Salt River Reservation was able to raise enough capital to start its own Saddleback Communications company.

The Benton report also cited IndianNet, a partnership between Americans for Indian Opportunity and Native America Public Telecommunications. This Indian-owned network is attempting to work with tribal governments to establish access to public information over the Internet.

As this series of public and private programs are introduced into Native American communities to bridge the "digital divide," these tribes must decide what role they want communications technologies to play in their cultures and their futures.

Each tribe will come to different conclusions on how to integrate communication technologies into their cultures and families, according to the Benton report.

"It is essential that tribes control the terms under which new services are introduced in their communities," the report concludes. "Only then can they ensure that telecommunications technologies are deployed in a manner that best meets the needs of individual tribes."

Full text of this report is currently found at: http://www.benton.org/Library/Native/

John T. Moore can be reached at
johntm@mindspring.com