Indigenous communities face unique challenges to Internet access and inclusion. To address this digital divide, the Internet Society brought together community network operators, Internet service providers, community members, researchers, policy makers and Indigenous leadership to join the conversation during the first of its kind Indigenous Connectivity Summit in November 2017.
Indigenous Connectivity
Let’s continue the conversation we started at the Summit! Do you want to connect your Indigenous community? Do you want to support Indigenous connectivity? You can find ever-growing resources on topics including community networks, cultural preservation, and Indigenous-driven access here. Although we began this conversation in North America, our hope is that all Indigenous communities around the world will have the opportunity to connect to the Internet. Join us!
Get Involved
There are several ways you can take part:
- Indigenous Connectivity Group Interest Form: Some summit attendees are creating a group focused on Indigenous connectivity issues. If you would like to join them, please fill out this interest form and the leaders will contact you shortly.
- Apply for ICANN Global Indigenous Ambassador Program
- Continue the conversation on twitter with #indigenet
- Participate in FCC Tribal Consultations
- Support Indigenous Media
- Get Updates from the National Congress of American Indians on Telecom
- Join the National Tribal Telecommunications Association
- Continue the conversation on Twitter with #indigenet
Resources
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Policy Brief: Spectrum Approaches for Community Networks
Introduction The Internet Society’s goal is to make the Internet available for everyone, everywhere. 1 The Internet currently reaches...
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A policy framework for enabling Internet access
This policy framework provides recommendations policymakers can use to flexibly create their own Internet-enabling environment.
Indigenous Connectivity in the News
- From the Arctic’s Melting Ice, an Unexpected Digital Hub
- Native Communities look to DIY model to get online
- Internet as an act of reconciliation
- Creating an Enabling Environment for Digital Self-Determination
- Community-led Networks Democratize web
- Broadband Bruce: Fighting Canada’s Digital Divide
- Native American Tribes Sues Amazon and Microsoft over patents
- Why are Indigenous People such avid users of Social Media?
- Internet Connectivity in Indigenous Communities (Episode 34)
The Piikani Cultural and Digital Literacy Camp Program
Beyond the Net
16 May 2018
The Piikani Cultural and Digital Literacy Camp Program
The Piikani Nation in Southern Alberta, concerned they were in danger of losing their Blackfoot culture and traditions, sought...
The State of Broadband Connectivity in Canada’s Rural and Remote Regions
Access
2 May 2018
The State of Broadband Connectivity in Canada’s Rural and Remote Regions
In April, the Canadian Standing Committee on Industry, Science, and Technology presented the “Broadband Connectivity in Rural Canada: Overcoming...
How the Lenca are Restoring the Past to Build their Future
Beyond the Net
5 April 2018
How the Lenca are Restoring the Past to Build their Future
The Internet has the potential to enable Indigenous communities to continue living on remote traditional lands without diminishing their...
Community Networks in Mexico: For Ourselves, With Our Own Resources
Community Networks
21 March 2018
Community Networks in Mexico: For Ourselves, With Our Own Resources
Community Networks are a matter of autonomy, which has been demonstrated by the indigenous communities of Mexico and the...
Indigenous Connectivity Summit Participants Share Their Stories
Access
13 February 2018
Indigenous Connectivity Summit Participants Share Their Stories
Madeleine Redfern, the mayor of Iqaluit – the largest and only city in Nunavut, Canada – has a colorful...
Community Report: Indigenous Connectivity
Access
22 January 2018
Community Report: Indigenous Connectivity
The 2017 Indigenous Connectivity Summit (ICS) was the start of a critical conversation about how Indigenous communities can connect...