Covid-19: What you should prepare for, what you can expect, and what you should be doing NOW with Larry Fretz, InfoTech Research Group

All of us here at TribalHub hope this podcast finds you and your family well and safe during this unprecedented health crisis we are all experiencing. None of us have a blueprint that shows us how we, as business professionals, should respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.  This is uncharted waters for all of us. So...what ARE we supposed to be doing?  
That’s what we asked Larry Fretz of InfoTech Research Group on this podcast episode.  Larry is the practice lead at Info-Tech Research Group for both the Native American technology research center (NATRC) and the gaming and hospitality research center (GHRC).  He and his team of analysts develop and deliver targeted research, specific to the tribal government, gaming, and hospitality industries.
In March, InfoTech launched the Covid Response Resource Center to provide tools, templates and a playbook for IT leaders to assist their organizations through this disruptive time and every day new tools are being added. Every week they’ve been hosting a variety of webinars, supported by best practices research and tools, on key topics such as WFH, managing remote teams, child care policies in a WFH environment, streamlining the workforce, cost reduction planning and even a 10 step IT pandemic strategy playbook. 
Listen in as Larry gives us his insight on what IT and business leaders can expect moving forward, what you should reasonably be preparing for, and what you should be doing right now.
We hope that listening to our podcast will bring some sense of normalcy to your routine.  Be sure to subscribe to our show wherever you listen to podcasts, and follow TribalHub on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  You can find a list of Covid-19 resources from Info-Tech on their website.
If you or your tribe is looking for services or programs that may be of use as we work through this time of shutdowns and uncertainty, please visit our website, our social pages, or email michelleb@tribalhub.com.
Stay safe & be well.

MuralNet Helps to Close the Digital Divide on Tribal Land by Assisting with FCC Spectrum License Application Process

All of us here at TribalHub hope this podcast finds you and your family safe and well.  In the midst of this global pandemic, I hope that this show brings some "normalcy" to your day.
In this episode we are going to cover the digital divide that we see in Indian Country and what the non profit group MuralNet is doing to help tribes across the country bridge that divide. Wireless high speed internet is now almost a necessity for daily living - and we see that today more than ever.  With every state under a "social distancing" order, we are looking to technology to keep us connected.  From telemedicine, to weather announcements, to news updates and social interaction, we have to have access to a network.  Many in Indian Country, however, are not this lucky.  One of the documented major obstacles to accessing wireless high speed internet on rural tribal reservations is the lack of infrastructure and funding to build it.
And this is where MuralNet comes in.  Cat Blake & Crystal Hottowe work with the MuralNet to help tribes build their own networks; with the hopes to bring the number of homes with access to wireless high speed internet on tribal reservations up to national levels. MuralNet provides various services to tribes including assistance with spectrum acquisition & analysis, high-level engineering plans, help with grant applications & waivers, and more specific to applying for a spectrum licence over tribal land.
Recently, the FCC opened a 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Window, which is a unique application process/opportunity that tribes in rural areas currently have that could allow tribes to get direct access to unassigned spectrum. If Tribal entities don’t apply for the free licenses for these airwaves, they will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. The window to apply ends August 3rd. This opportunity is one of the things MuralNet is working hard to encourage tribes across the nation to apply for.  To date, the group has helped 7 tribes secure spectrum, and are helping more and more each day.
Listen in as Cat & Crystal discuss MuralNet, the Tribal Window opportunity, and a grant available for tribes to apply for called ReConnect.  
If you have a topic for our show, or would have a story to share, please contact us at michelleb@tribalhub.com
Don’t forget to subscribe/follow our show wherever you listen to podcasts to never miss an episode. Connect with all of us here by searching “TribalHub” on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or visit our web page at tribalhub.com.
Mentioned Websites:
MuralNet webpage:  www.muralnet.org 
Info page on the 2.5 GHz tribal priority window: https://muralnet.org/tribalprioritywindow/
Blog documenting the ReConnect process: https://muralnet.org/funding/
Reference articles:
https://www.minneapolisfed.org/article/2019/the-digital-divide-in-indian-country
https://www.npr.org/2018/12/06/673364305/native-americans-on-tribal-land-are-the-least-connected-to-high-speed-internet
https://www.wiley.law/alert-FCC-to-Auction-Unassigned-25-GHz-Spectrum-for-Commercial-Use
 
 

Sneak Peek: MuralNet Helps Tribes Apply for 2.5 GHz Spectrum Opportunity

All of us here at TribalHub hope this podcast finds you and your family well and safe during this unprecedented health crisis we are all experiencing. Sharing information on resources and programs that are showing meaningful benefits to tribes and tribal casinos is one way that we here at TribalHub are striving to be a positive resource to the entire tribal community right now. We will get through this time. Until then, we hope that listening to our podcast will bring some sense of normalcy to your routine.
In this episode, we are giving you a sneak peek into a discussion Michelle Bouschor, TribalHub's Resource and Connection Specialist, had with Cat Blake & Crystal Hottowe who work with the non-profit group MuralNet. MuralNet is a volunteer organization funded through private donations, corporate sponsorships and in-kind support with the goal of helping tribes secure federal grants to own and support a 2.5 GHz band spectrum network from the FCC on tribal lands.
The full episode of my conversation with Cat & Crystal will be released on Thursday April 9. Be sure to subscribe to our show wherever you listen to podcasts, and follow TribalHub on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
If you or your tribe is looking for services or programs that may be of use as we work through this time of shutdowns and uncertainty, please visit our website, our social pages, or email michelleb@tribalhub.com.
Stay safe & be well.