Navajo Nation likely to lose Internet service

[Mugu]

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (AP) -- The thousands of Navajo Nation residents who rely on the Internet to work, study and communicate across their 27,000-square-mile reservation will be out of luck Monday, if their service provider shuts access as planned.

"It's going to be a sad day," said Ernest Franklin, director of the tribe's Telecommunications Regulatory Commission.

A tribal audit last year revealed that Utah-based provider OnSat Network Communications Inc. may have double-billed the tribe, and it raised questions about how the tribe requested bids for the Internet contract.

Those discoveries led the Universal Service Administration Co., which administers the service under the Federal Communications Commission's E-rate program, to tell the tribe March 28 that it would withhold $2.1 million from OnSat. Jim Fitting, an attorney for OnSat, said the delay in payment means it can't pay subcontractor SES Americom for satellite time.


Complete article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/04/04/navajo.internet.ap/index.html

[Submariner]

1. Gawd Damn Amerika

If anyone has a right to make that statement, it is the Native American who has gotten screwed, blued, and tattooed from time immemorial in this country. The greedy white repukes strike again.

[Bonobo]

2. Fucking A right about that.

[amerikat]

3. The Navajo Nation is mostly within AZ. A dem should make it an issue

before McCain can use it as one of his issues. I guess the Hopi will be effected too as they are completely surrounded by the Navajo Nation.

[BlooInBloo]

4. The only people who care are already on our side. Might help with the press tho...

...But probably not. They'd just call it "playing the race card" and then all white folks on our side would meekly back down (because it's against white rules to be TOO strongly in favor of anyone who's not white.)

[mac2]

5. You mean all those white guys who died in the Civil War

didn't care about colored folks? There are people who care but they don't have the money or power. The Neo Cons want your land. They also prefer to silence your protests.

[BlooInBloo]

6. Yah - they cared so much they rioted when they got drafted and went-a-lynching every black guy...

.... they could find.

I'm sure black folks are touched by their care. Er - sorry - "colored folks" to you.

[mac2]

10. During Vietnam all type of men black and white rioted when

drafted. Don't blame everyone of any race for their hatred and violence.

[tkmorris]

7. That's a pretty broad brush you have

But who cares. They are just "white folks" after all.

[BlooInBloo]

8. Thanks!

[mac2]

11. My family never owned slaves and most of them not

here to do so. They were the slaves to the British queen and serfs in Germany. Not all white folks are evil.

We don't hire employers low wage immigrants without insurance either today.

[Mugu]

9. Kick n/t

[Mugu]

12. Additional info

snip

The Associated Press reported Friday that Utah-based OnSat Network Communications Inc., which provides satellite-facilitated Internet access to 70 of the tribe's 110 chapter houses, has announced it will no longer provide access beginning Monday. The Universal Service Administration Co., which administers a federal program that pays most of the cost of the access, has been withholding payment to OnSat due to concerns about possible overbilling and about the bidding process used to select OnSat.

Norbert Nez, computer operations manager for the tribe's Division of Community Development, said there are no last-minute efforts under way to rescue the OnSat connection. However, 20 of the nation's chapter houses and 40 locations in total already have access through Frontier Communications of America Inc.

snip

Nez said the tribe was looking at other options to restore service to all chapter houses. Potential providers include Frontier, Sacred Wind Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc.'s Cellular One wireless (NYSE:T).


Complete article at:
http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2008/03/31/daily39.html