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SES Americom Threatens Shutdown of Navajo Public-Safety Network (7/22/08)
The Navajo Nation requested help from the FCC and President Bush to prevent the imminent shutdown of satellite communications for the Navajos’ entire public-safety network. The shutdown — affecting police, fire, medical and other emergency services for more than 250,000 Navajo spread over 27,000 square miles of territory in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah — is set for Aug. 1 after an original July 22 shutdown date was pushed back.

SES Americom, which provides satellite communications for numerous federal agencies, said it hasn’t been paid from government funds for services already provided to the Navajo. The private company appointed by the FCC to disburse the congressionally mandated funds, the Universal Service Administrative Co. (USAC), has failed to make the funds available for more than 14 months without providing any reason for withholding them, despite numerous urgent requests for an explanation, according to Navajo leaders.

In a message to President Bush, Dr. Joe Shirley Jr., president of the Navajo Nation, said that Washington officials in charge of dispensing the funds appeared “oblivious to the enormous harm they are doing to our nation.” As a result of the USAC’s mishandling of the matter, the Navajo Nation is now about to lose its “entire communications network, including its public-safety network,” Shirley said.

“This shut off will affect the entire nation, including seven public-safety agencies that field emergency calls and cover a 27,000-square-mile territory in New Mexico, Utah and Arizona,” U.S. Sens. Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico wrote in a joint appeal to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, urging him to intervene.

The satellite network links 111 libraries and 127 public-safety access points for police, medical and other emergency services across the nation. “The situation has become critical and threatens the safety and security of the Navajo Nation and its residents,” the senators said in their letter. “We are deeply disturbed by this imminent loss of communications service to vital public agencies. Satellite service is the primary means of communications among the Navajo Nation’s police, fire and emergency medical responders.”

The senators asked the FCC to take immediate action to prevent the shutdown. They also called for an explanation for why approved E-rate federal funding for Internet access service is being withheld by USAC and what steps need to be taken for release of the funds. USAC is the administrator of the E-rate funding and is overseen by the FCC.