BRITTANY WOODS-ORRISON (AKIAK, AK)
Every community in Alaska has a right to affordable and reliable broadband internet.
BROADBAND AFFORDABLE, ACCESSIBLE HIGHSPEED INTERNET CONNECTION ALLOWS COMMUNITIES TO ACCESS TELEMEDICINE, EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, AND EMPLOYMENT.
Tribal control over broadband is a critical component of Indigenous sovereignty in the 21st century. Tribal knowledge is essential to shape telecommunications across Alaska; their knowledge of and relationship to the lands, waters, sacred sites, and rights of way are valuable to building the required infrastructure. Tribes should build and control their own networks. Broadband is a crucial aspect of addressing many of Alaska’s biggest and most complex challenges: internet connectivity may be a balm to the isolation rural Alaskans can experience; broadband will open up new jobs, including highly-paid remote work to folks across the state, which will help diversify rural economies and let people stay in their communities; telemedicine could make healthcare far more accessible, avoiding the need for expensive trips to doctors; and highspeed internet can bring educational resources to Alaskans anywhere they reside. For decades, broadband advocates have been pointing out that access to the internet is as essential as any other utility. The pandemic has illuminated that broadband is essential infrastructure.
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