The FirstNet Authority works to establish nation-to-nation relationships with federally recognized tribes that complement its National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) Section 106 obligations. The FirstNet Authority's Tribal Working Group, part of our Public Safety Advisory Committee, contributed to drafting a Tribal Consultation Policy that has been reviewed by the FirstNet Authority Board and codifies the FirstNet Authority’s commitment to this relationship going forward.

Tribal Consultation Policy

The FirstNet Authority respects the nation-to-nation relationship that exists between federally recognized Indian tribes and the United States government. In partnership with the Public Safety Advisory Committee’s Tribal Working Group, the FirstNet Authority adopted a Tribal Consultation Policy to establish a foundation for honoring tribal sovereignty, accompanied by productive communications, consideration, and engagement with tribal governments surrounding the deployment of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN).

This policy is independent of and implemented separately from the FirstNet Authority’s consultation requirements under Section 106 of the NHPA, as amended. The NHPA and its implementing regulations require federal agencies to take into account the effects of their undertakings on resources of historical significance, including those of traditional religious and cultural importance to Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, and Native Hawaiian organizations, and prescribes a specific consultation process for those purposes.