Tribal Nations have long advocated for their sovereign interests in natural resources like land and water. Tribes have also advocated for their sovereign interest in the air space above Tribal lands.

• Read more about Call to Action: National Spectrum Strategy Tribal Consultations

On March 2, 2023, the National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA) published a request for written comments on upcoming digital equity program grants. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) created several programs to improve broadband connectivity across the country.

• Read more about CALL TO ACTION: Submit Public Comments on the Digital Equity Act Programs

February was a productive month at AIPI with events, multiple training’s, and representation at external events. As you can see, we participated in several events related to digital equity, digital inclusion, and digital sovereignty, with Dr. Morris and EJ John, both imparting different sets of expertise in the space at different events.  

• Read more about Great Start for the First Quarter

We are halfway through the Spring 2023 cohort of the Indigenous Leadership Academy (ILA)! We’ve had the privilege of hosting marvelous guest speakers during each module. We greatly appreciate all our guest speakers for modules two through five. All experts in their respective fields, our speakers have imparted their knowledge, shared their insights, and given their time to the ILA cohort. You can read more about each of the sublime guest speakers below. 

• Read more about ILA Cohort Hits Halfway Mark

The Office of Management and Budget Requests Public Comment on the Initial Proposals for Updating Statistical Standards for Collecting and Reporting Race and Ethnicity Data 

• Read more about The Office of Management and Budget Requests Public Comment

The Biden-Harris Administration completed another year in which it continued its work to strengthen the nation-to-nation relationship between Tribal Nations and the Federal Government.

• Read more about The White House & Tribal Nations: A 2022 Summary

We at AIPI are excited to continue our work on tribally-driven research and policy solutions into 2023. One important part of work is researching and publishing our monthly policy update, and we are currently developing a new quarterly format to present that information. Up until now, we have published a monthly comprehensive document covering a wide range of activity from Congress, federal agencies, and the Arizona legislature. Our new quarterly policy update will now cover a three month period, and will be designed to focus on important actions affecting Indian Country.

• Read more about A New Look for the AIPI Policy Update

The Indigenous Leadership Academy (ILA) is set to begin this week. This cohort of participants represent 15 tribes from 10 states and Washington D.C. This is a benchmark for the ILA and we are excited to share our journey. The 10 module program is designed with guest speakers for each module. These guest speakers have expertise in their field which directly relates to each module. For module 1 we are delighted to have Dr. Angela Gonzales as our facilitator.

• Read more about Lowe & Gonzales Lead ILA's First Module

On November 18, 2022, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the pre-production draft of its new broadband availability map. This map gives an initial look into broadband availability nationwide.

• Read more about FCC Broadband Map Challenges: Improving Tribal Broadband Data