Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 2, 1 February 2011 — OHA hosts FCC chief for native affairs [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA hosts FCC chief for native affairs

By Lisa Asato

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs welcomed the Federal Communications Commission's Chief for Native Affairs and Policy at a reception Jan. 25 during his first trip to Hawai'i, in whieh he said he wanted to "be as inclusive as possible with Native Hawaiians." Geoffrey Blackwell is Chief of the new Office of Native Affairs and Policy, whieh he established after being appointed to the FCC in June by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski to lead the commission's

efforts to work with tribal nations and native communities. Blackwell's office has held listening tours across the country to gather input to develop the office's "to-do list," and he called access to broadband, or high-speed Internet, "the most critical structure of the 21st century." About 65 percent of the homes in the United States have broadband Internet access - and therefore access to the broadband economy - compared to 5 percent to 8 percent on tribal lands, he said. XI FGG CHIEF ON PAGE 22

OHA CE0 Clyde Nūmu'o and OHA Chairperson Colefte Machado weleome Geoffrey Blackwell, Chief of the Office of Native Affairs and Policy, on his first visit to Hawai'i. - Photo: Lisa Asato

FCC CHIEF

Continued from page 4 Blackwell, who also visited Kaua'i and Moloka'i, said the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 calling for a national broadband plan was a great win fromthe native perspective. Not only did the FCC embrace many of the recommendations from natives, he said: "I am standing here in the fulfillment of one of the recommendations of that national broadband plan. The FCC created an office with the regulatory authority, the responsibility and the horsepower to be able to address native eoncerns across the commission." The office was created Aug. 12 by a 5-0 vote of the commission, whieh regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and eahle. "We set the rules by whieh these industries compete and provide service. We have a great deal to

say about how they are sensitive and responsive to native concerns," Blackwell said, adding that he was on Kaua'i less than 24 hours before he heard concerns about migratory birds and how they are affected by the locations of communications towers. "It's very important that we think about the breadth of issues that we ean work together on," he said. Blackwell, who lives in Maryland, previously worked as the FCC's Senior Attorney/Liaison to Tribal Governments and as young man worked with U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye (D, Hawai'i) when he was Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs. The Office of Native Affairs and Policy is preparing to launeh a notice of inquiry to investigate issues of eoneem for native eommunities across the U.S., he said, adding, "When I look at how native communities adopt and use technologies, ... we want to reach out to you and hope you will work with us."

In remarks addressed to Blackwell, OHA Chairperson Colette Machado said, "As native people, our depth and our breadth is eonnected to the land and to our culture and to our generations that have passed on. We eall it our ancestral relationships. ... So I say from my heart to your heart, weleome to our native land and we appreciate spending this time with you." Also attending were OHA Trustees Boyd Mossman, Haunani Apoliona and Oswald Stender, OHA administrators and eommunity leaders. OHA CEO Clyde Nāmu'o presented Blackwell a gift basket and described the symbolic gifts it contained as: "Kukui nut for preservation of those things Hawaiian, kapa that binds us in our eommon work - printed kapa for the aeeomplishments made and virgin kapa for those accomplishments to eome. And finally, lashing of a niu, eoeonut, for strength and durability." ■