ESHOO, OTHERS URGE GAO TO STUDY TRIBAL LAND COMMUNICATIONS

Reps. Anna G. Eshoo (D., Calif.), Ben Ray Luján (D., N.M.), Don Young (R., Alaska), and Tom Cole (R., Okla.) today asked the Government Accountability Office to study tribal land communications. Specifically, they asked that GAO look at “[e]xisting efforts at the federal, state, local, or Tribal levels to collect data on the availability of communications services on Tribal lands, including fixed and mobile broadband, wireline and wireless phone service, and radio and television broadcast service.” They also asked GAO to look at “[e]xisting federal, state, local, or Tribal programs that promote communications infrastructure deployment and adoption, and their impact on Tribal lands.” Finally, they asked that GAO report on “[c]hallenges that exist to increasing telecommunications subscribership rates for residents on Tribal lands and recommendations for addressing those barriers.”