In our third episode on the Building for Digital Equity podcast, we are joined by Mikhail Sundust, Executive Director of the Digital Connect Initiative (DCI) at GRTI - Gila River Telecommunications Incorporated.

A tribal telecommunications company, GRTI has offered telecommunications and now high-quality Internet access to tribal citizens living on the Gila River reservation (and beyond with subsidiaries) for more than 30 years.

The podcast covers the lessons DCI has learned along its digital equity path, including making sure people have the basic digital skills needed to build more advanced skills and confidence. Sundust also discusses how they developed a "bring your own device" program for learning, and have crafted programs that work well with tribal elders.

Finally, Sundust talks about how other Tribal telecom companies are starting to incorporate digital equity planning into their work.

This show is 14 minutes long and can be played on this page or using the podcast app of your choice with this feed.

Listen to other episodes here or see other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance here.

Thanks to Joseph McDade for the music. The song is On the Verge and is used per his Free-Use terms.

It’s not too late to register for our first Building for Digital Equity (#B4DE) livestream event of the year. This Thursday, Feb. 16, from 2-3 pm CST/3-4 pm ET, ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks Initiative will kick off our Building for Digital Equity series.

The focus will be on two of the hottest topics in broadband right now: mapping and the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

Promising to bring more light than heat, co-host Christopher Mitchell, Community Broadband Networks Initiative Director, will be joined by co-host Kim McKinley, Chief Marketing Officer with UTOPIA Fiber – our sponsor for this year’s series. We are calling this one Building for Digital Equity: Why is Everyone Badgering the FCC?

You can register here.

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The event will give an overview of the FCC’s new broadband map and make clear what has been confusing and convoluted for those who have been working to fix the multitude of inaccuracies the map contains through the challenge process.

Our expert guests will break down the difference between fabric and location challenges and availability challenges and how those challenges may, or may not, affect how much each state will receive from the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity Access & Deployment (BEAD) program embedded in the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

Our GIS and Data Visualization Specialist Christine Parker will review helpful mapping tools, which will be followed by a Q&A with audience members.