FCC Data Collection: Broadband Data Collection in Indian Country

Federal and state data collection efforts are flawed and inaccurate when it comes to Tribal communities; moreover, they omit them entirely. This was proven true for healthcare data during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, true for law enforcement data needed to address the MMIP crisis, and also true for broadband connectivity data. Accurate data is crucial to identifying and solving the needs of Tribal communities. The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) examined Tribal data capacity and found that Tribes and Tribal entities are working to develop their own data to address the needs of their own communitie in order to ensure that Tribal communities are accurately represented.