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Growing the Internet 22 January 2018

Community Report: Indigenous Connectivity

Nicole Carolin
By Nicole CarolinGuest AuthorPolicy Advisor

The 2017 Indigenous Connectivity Summit (ICS) was the start of a critical conversation about how Indigenous communities can connect themselves to the Internet on their own terms. But it was just the beginning.

An extraordinary community of people came together: Indigenous-owned Internet service providers, community network manager/operators, researchers and policy makers, and Indigenous leadership. Their conversations outlined the benefits the Internet can bring to Indigenous communities, including self-determination, culture and language preservation, economic development, health, and education. These conversations are captured in the Indigenous Connectivity Summit Community Report, which also describes the unique challenges Indigenous communities face to gain sustainable connectivity and recommendations to address those challenges.

We hope that this report serves as a springboard to further Indigenous connectivity in North America and beyond. You can take part by visiting the Indigenous Connectivity page!

Disclaimer: Viewpoints expressed in this post are those of the author and may or may not reflect official Internet Society positions.

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