FNTC releases Indigenous Leadership in Technology

The First Nations Technology Council (Technology Council) published its report “Indigenous Leadership in Technology: Understanding Access and Opportunities in British Columbia” in December of 2022. The report offers a summary of some of the current barriers and enablers Indigenous peoples experience in building technological capacity as well as their vision for the future of technology[…]

FMCC members in the News Media

FMCC member organizations have had quite a bit of media attention recently. At the end of 2022, Jessica Mundie published a story in the National Post on First Nations communities across Canada who are building their own networks. Her story featured interviews with a number of FMCC members including Alfred Loon, president of Eeyou Communications Network (ECN) and Jesse[…]

ECN Hosts FMCC 2022 General Meeting

After more than two years of pandemic restrictions, members of FMCC met for their first in-person meeting in Montréal on June 14th and 15th, 2022. Eeyou Communications Network (ECN) hosted the FMCC general meeting at the Cree Regional Government office. Present were Alfred Loon of ECN; Tim Whiteduck and Philippe Lalancette from Conseil en education[…]

FMCC Member Western James Bay Telecom Network Wins DeBeers Indigenous Partnership Award

Congratulations to FMCC member Western James Bay Telecom Network (WJBTN), which received the 2020 DeBeers Indigenous Partnership Award on August 13, 2020! The award is given out by the Timmins Chamber of Commerce each year. When it was announced that WJBTN had won, a video produced by Louis Noah from Attawapiskat was played. In the[…]

FMCC Member Broadband Communications North will receive $9.9 million from CRTC Broadband Fund

Congratulations to the Broadband Communications North (BCN) team in Manitoba for securing funding to connect Tadoule Lake, Barren Lands, Lac Brochet, Pukatawagan, and Shamattawa! This is among the first funded projects announced through the CRTC Broadband Fund — Phase 1 was for satellite broadband projects anywhere and broadband projects in Yukon, NWT and Nunavut. CBC[…]

FMCC submits comments to CRTC on barriers to the deployment of broadband-capable networks in underserved areas

The FMCC has submitted our comments to Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2019-406: Call for comments regarding potential barriers to the deployment of broadband-capable networks in underserved areas in Canada. Our submission details the barriers that FMCC member organizations face with respect to the deployment of broadband in the communities they serve. These barriers include[…]

Ottawa Citizen: COVID-19 shows need to support Indigenous and non-profit telcos connecting remote communities

The following article was published on April 15, 2020. Read published article here. by FMCC members Tim Whiteduck, David Paul Achneepineskum, Sally Braun, Bill Murdoch, Ken Sanderson, and Rob McMahon In 2016, Canada’s telecommunications regulator ruled that broadband is an “essential service” that should be available to everyone across the country, no matter where they[…]

Research proves the connectivity barriers faced by Indigenous communities are very real, and very limiting

Original article by Cybera; republished with permission The ConnectIN project was a two-year pilot project evaluating the internet connectivity in First Nations communities in BC, Alberta and Manitoba. Led by three First Nations’ regional technology organizations, and facilitated by Cybera, the goal of this project was to better assess gaps in infrastructure and services. ConnectIN wrapped up[…]

New Digital Literacy Resource: Eetsii tthak t’agwahii getr’ootanahchàh: Digital Content and Connectivity with Dinjii Zhuh Contexts

Aug. 21, 2019 The University of Alberta (Faculty of Extension and School of Library and Information Science) and Gwich’in Tribal Council are proud to share two new digital literacy resources. These free open educational resources (OERs) focus on digital content and connectivity with Dinjii Zhuh (Gwich’in) contexts. They include a student workbook and a facilitator[…]