Relationship Building Key to Connecting Tribal Communities: USDA Policy Advisor
‘You should build a relationship with your telecommunications field representative,’ Edyael Casaperalta said.
WASHINGTON, March 10, 2022 – Building relationships is key to the success of rolling out broadband infrastructure in tribal communities through the Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect program, a department advisor said Wednesday.
“These are individuals who know the lay of the land in the state they oversee, they know the players, they can help you build relationships, they can guide you through our processes, they can explain the nitty gritty details of our programs, they can help you think through what programs are best for you at this moment and what programs can help you to build for the future,” Edyael Casaperalta, senior policy advisor in the department’s Rural Utilities Service, said during a Broadband Breakfast for Lunch event.
“You should build a relationship with your telecommunications field representative,” she added.
The ReConnect program, originally launched in December 2018, offers funding through grants, loans, and grant-loan combinations. The USDA is encouraging anyone interested in building infrastructure to apply for a grant, loan, or a grant-loan combination. The latest round of ReConnect funding closed its application process Wednesday.
Casaperalta recommended that those interested in building broadband infrastructure on tribal lands should develop a positive relationship with the tribal government of that land.
Photo Edyael Casaperalta and Drew Clark at a Broadband Breakfast event Wednesday by Megan Boswell
“Anyone interested in serving a tribal land is required to show a resolution of consent from the tribal government of that land,” she said. “The tribal government has jurisdiction. They are the ultimate deciders of who builds what where.”
“We are consciously encouraging all hands on deck because that’s what it takes to connect rural communities,” she said.
There are two ways to participate in this event: IN PERSON or LIVE ONLINE. To attend IN PERSON, sign up to attend in person through Eventbrite. Please arrive for lunch at Clyde’s of Gallery Place, 707 7th Street NW, Washington, D.C., by 11:30 a.m. to be seated for lunch. The program will begin promptly at 12 Noon ET.
Our Broadband Breakfast Live Online events take place on Wednesday at 12 Noon ET. You can also PARTICIPATE ONLINE in the current Broadband Breakfast Live Online event on Zoom.
Wednesday, March 9, 2022, 12 Noon ET — Preparing for the IIJA’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides a number of programs that, all told, provide $65 billion for broadband infrastructure investment. A part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed 69-30 last year, the measure was touted during the State of the Union address by President Joe Biden as the beginning of an “infrastructure decade” for the United States. In this first session of this Broadband Breakfast for Lunch series, Broadband Breakfast and Broadband.Money will explore what the federal government, states and infrastructure builders – public and private – should be doing to prepare for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment grant program.
There are two ways to participate in this event: IN PERSON though Eventbrite, or LIVE ONLINE through Zoom.
Panelists for this Broadband Breakfast Live Online session:
- Edyael Casaperalta, Senior Policy Advisor, Rural Utilities Service, USDA
- Drew Clark (host), Editor and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast
Panelist resources:
- USDA’s Rural Utilities Aims to Take Hands On Approach to ReConnect Applications, Broadband.Money
- Second Day of Workshop on USDA’s ReConnect Program Emphasized Finances and Mapping, Broadband.Money
- Eligible Entities and Award Compliance During Final Day of USDA’s ReConnect Program, Broadband.Money
Edyael Casaperalta is Senior Policy Advisor for the Rural Utilities Service in the Department of Agriculture. Casaperalta is an attorney who has worked with Tribes, rural and underrepresented communities in telecommunications matters. She is from Elsa, Texas, a small border town in the Rio Grande Valley.
Drew Clark is the Editor and Publisher of BroadbandBreakfast.com and a nationally-respected telecommunications attorney. Drew brings experts and practitioners together to advance the benefits provided by broadband. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, he served as head of a State Broadband Initiative, the Partnership for a Connected Illinois. He is also the President of the Rural Telecommunications Congress.
This Broadband Breakfast for Lunch event is co-hosted with:
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