The Navajo Nation risks losing its communications services provid...
The Navajo Nation risks losing its communications services provided by SES Americom on Tuesday due to bureaucratic discord, it said. “It is totally unfair to the Navajo people to have these vital communications services withdrawn because of some differences…
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of opinion in Washington over issues that they have not yet even specified,” said Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley. To fend off a shutoff, Sens. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., and Pete Domenici, R-N.M., wrote to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin late last week urging he order the U.S. Administrative Corp. to explain why it is holding back universal service E-rate funds from 2006. USAC told the Navajo Nation in March that it was placing a hold on $2.1 million, the senators wrote. OnSat and subcontractors shut off service to Navajo Nation Chapter Houses in April and SES Americom will cease service Tuesday, the senators said. “Satellite service is the primary means of communication among the [Navajo] Nation’s police, fire and emergency medical responders. Even though the public safety communications component is not part of E-rate funding and is paid for separately, the termination of the satellite transmission service affects all communications for the Nation,” the senators wrote. The FCC has received and is reviewing the letter, an FCC spokesman said. SES Americom didn’t respond to a request for comment.