Maybe they can use their $50,000 a year from Uncle Sam to get better internet.

Archavious

Just so folks know how remote it is on the Navajo reservation, there are large large portions of it which are lacking cell service and phone service, and some portions are lacking electricity and running water.

It's extremely remote country, and a very new experience if you are from a city, or even not familiar with indian reservations.

raleel

This is worse than China's treatment of Tibet! Ha Ha

Noobs-R-Us

I want to implement the .torrent protocol over smoke signals now.

... Dammit!

cyborgtroy

An FCC audit uncovered the fact that satellite service provider OnSat Networks had double-billed the tribe in 2007. ... And, since OnSat can't pay its subcontractors, it is shutting down service.

Sounds like OnSat is a *real* efficient business there -- they double bill for 2007, essentially charging for 2008 a year early, and still don't have the money to run their company this year, and have to cut off a service that was, in a way, already paid for. Nice.

by Archavious: Maybe they can use their $50,000 a year from Uncle Sam to get better internet.

I could be wrong, as I'm remembering some high school class...but isn't it just $50,000 on their 18th birthdays (not every year)? If you've ever driven past a "reservation" that isn't getting cash from California gambling, it's often a very small trailer park out in the middle of the desert, with a few cars (probably the cars bought with the 18th birthday money, if they still run). No real way to make a good living out on the desert land that the US government "let" the native Americans keep. Also, clearly not a place where every individual is making $50,000 a year.

EQC

Taking their homeland and forcing them onto reservations is one thing but taking away their Internets? That's just inhuman.

"I mean, what's your encore? Do you, like, anally rape my mother while pouring sugar in my gas tank?"

kodo

@Archavious:

Where did you get that crazy idea?

kingburrito

How?

strider_mt2k

@EQC Most other Tribes do get a one time stipend from their tribal gov't Alaskan Natives and also Utes are tribes that do that. Unfortunately the Navajo or (Dine`) are not such at tribe. Otherwise I'd totally have bought a better PC than this HP I'm using right now.

foufymaus

"In the meantime, the Navajo will have to find other ways to peruse LOLcat pics and update their Myspaces. Will the struggles of the Native Americans never end?"

I'm not sure if this was meant to be sarcastic or not, but if it was it's in very poor taste.

In any case., this is beyond fucked up. Businesses may now be suffering because of this. Shouldn't the US gov' step in to get some sort of temp setup for them?

Zarian

Hey U.S. Government, just a thought. Next time just pay the subcontractors directly and then go after the contractor. You know, so the wronged party isn't the one that ends up getting screwed.

92BuickLeSabre

@GOKOR: Well, at least you copped to being poorly informed, jaded, and having a very skewed point of view on this one.

*breathing deep to lower heart-rate and blood pressure*

92BuickLeSabre

@Zarian: The US Gov. isn't paying for the entire thing. Maybe the Navajo Nation isn't paying the last 10%.

@kodo: I'm not saying the Indians weren't treaded like crap, and kicked off the land they lived on by force, but that's life. Wars are fought over land, money, and religion. The Europeans won the war for the land and were kind enough to let them keep some of it. Why does the US Gov. have to give them money all the time for giving them land to live on? If anything, the US Gov. has been generous enough to them and should stop taking money from my taxes and giving it to them.

Stop giving them my money and let me keep that percentage for myself. The Gov. knows how much I make and how much I could use it.

I know, I'm poorly informed, jaded, and have a very skewed point of view at times, but dammit, we're being raped by the government too.

GOKOR

Really? That's the graphic you guys went with? Grow up.

Daversa

@GOKOR: Could've been you...could've been the 8 cups of coffee and 8 cigarettes I've had this morning. Could go either way.

92BuickLeSabre

@Zarian: Agreed. The whole "smoke signals" thing is just offensive now.

And of course when it comes to the U.S. Government and the Native Tribes, this is par for the course. The government really never takes into consideration the effects of its policies on the tribes. When they're not bilking the natives out of land, mineral and oil rights, and the money due them by treaty obligations, they are making policies which keep the natives in poverty. Thankfully the native tribes have asserted themselves in recent decades and are now able to work on fashioning a life for themselves, though the use of gambling is a bit disturbing.

NefariousNewt

@92BuickLeSabre: Hey, my native tribe was among the first to feel the brunt of small pox and other European diseases. My great uncle is an Indian chief for that matter (not that I've ever met him or visited the tribe up in Vermont).

I still don't feel they should be given money that I could use for myself just because some ass in government felt bad for something that happened several centuries ago. I could go on with my reasonings, but then I tend to get really long winded and no one feels like reading it, especially since my POV isn't the same as most people, and like I stated, has it's own spin.

Sorry about your blood pressure and heart rate, didn't mean to do that to you.

GOKOR

@GOKOR: I dunno, I have Native American ancestors, too, but I'd feel awful squirrely trying to pass myself as an actual, you know, Native American. I think the dividing line may be how close your life is to that of people who grow up and live on reservations.

In any case, I'm not in government, and I feel pretty crappy about the whole killing 98% of the population of America and stealing all the land thing. Dunno, something about genocide just sticks in my craw. That's not to say what reparations we've made have been effective or properly managed, but I think trying to make amends in some way might be a good thing. Oh, and also...several centuries ago? Government mistreatment of Native Americans (gross, hateful treatment, not just this kind of bureaucratic idiocy) was common well into the 20th century.

Whyaduck

Oddly enough, I am a high school teacher living on the Navajo Reservation. The school I teach at (1000 or so students, 200 homes for teachers/faculty) has internet. I also have internet at home. The only people who will be directly hurt by this are the offices of the Navajo Nation and the chapter houses (the Navajo version of local government buildings). The rest of us have internet from other ISPs. Overall, I think this thing is pissing off a few people, but the rest of us are getting on okay.

jburt

Just clearing up a few misconceptions so sorry for the long comment.

* There was no FCC audit. It was an internal tribal audit. OnSat of course is disputing it.

* The US government does not pay Indian people at all much less "all the time." Some individual Indians receive money for oil, mining, grazing and other activities on their land. It's THEIR money, not yours and not the government's. Sadly, though, the government has mismanaged the money in its role as trustee.

* The vast majority of tribes do not issue "stipends" to their members. The correct terminology would be a per capita payment. Some wealthy tribes issue per capita payments as a share of casino revenues and some share non-gaming business revenues. At any rate, the Navajo Nation does not have per capitas.

* Alaska Native corporations, like many corporations, issue dividends to their shareholders. ANCs, however, are not tribes though Senator Ted Stevens likes to pretend they are. Then again Senator Stevens thinks the Internet is a bunch of tubes.

* Finally, if someone doesn't want the government to fund programs that benefit Indian people, then petition the government to rescind all the treaties and return all the land that was ceded to the tribes. And if tribes can't receive government funding then no one else should. It has nothing to do with some government bureaucrat feeling sorry for the poor Indians but everything to do with abiding by the law and the Constitution.

spyderwoahman

What kind of outcry would there be if the headline read:

"Israel's Internet borked by State Department and ISP, Hebrew Reservation Reverting To Smashing Heads Against West Wall For E-mail"

Some More:

2007: "Bear Sterns Execs Blow It, US Govt. Starts Them On Genocidal Death-March To Exile In Indian Territory"

1975: "Cambodian Govt Predicts Global Warming in 21st Century, Reduces Population by Half In Groundbreaking Recycling Event"

1948: "Chinese Govt Predicts Shortfall of 10M Ballots, Initiates 'Long March' Voter Education Program"

History isn't funny to some people.

Greg in Oklahoma

losloslos

Holy Crap! Installed the hookups / wireless for the Navajo President for OnSat. I'm friends with the owners. i wonder WTF Happened!! OMG.

They use Satellite Relay for their internet.. its a very remote place, internet was pretty fast tho (minus the 600ms lag)

lazerusrm

The overwhelming majority of tribes do not issue "stipends" to their members. The correction terminology would be a per capita payment, which are far and few between among tribes. A small number of wealthy tribes do give monthly checks as a share of casino revenues.

Alaska Native corporations distribute dividends to their shareholders. However, ANCs are not tribal governments.

At any rate, the Navajo Nation does not issue per capitas of any kind.

Some individual Indians do receive money from the use of their land for oil, grazing, timber and other activities. That's not a stipend, either, that's called income and the government has heavily mismanaged its role in that regard.

Anyway, I think the post got it wrong about the FCC audit -- I believe it was an internal tribal audit that uncovered some double payments.

spyderwoahman

I love the snarky humor of Giz generally, but, this is no laughing matter...its the Govt. meddling again. If the Govt covered 90% of NYC's internet bill, would they tolerate having it cut off while a bureaucrat figured out where the comma goes?

Making jokes about relocation, reservations, etc. is uber-uncool.

Would you like to go to a reservation sometime? You should.

Greg in Oklahoma.

losloslos

As someone who lives on one of the major towns bordering the Navajo Rez, I can say that this does suck, but really, if you've ever driven through the rez, this really won't be affecting a huge amount of people. Also, anyone who says they have a lot of money, or are living off our government...go and take a look sometime. There isn't much of anything that even resembles affluence out there, and it's one of the most socio-economicly depressed places in the country.

ubermiguel

jburt: Do you teach at Chuska? I lived in Tohatchi for about 14 months and went up there to help out often.

Daversa: Yes, that's the graphic they chose because it shows a traditionally dressed Navajo next to a traditional Navajo dwelling, called a hoghan. When I lived there about 13 years ago, some people still lived in them: dirt floors, no windows or glassless windows, one room, heated with a wood-burning stove, etc...

Spyderwoahman: Thank you for pointing out that modern-day Indians have a stronger position than just begging for handouts: the US government signed treaties making official policies and promises to Indian people that they must still uphold. Of course, when they made those promises they thought we would all be dead within 20 years, but we're still here, so pay up!

ldsdj