FORT THOMPSON, S.D. – The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe took a historic step to further business, economic, social and educational development on the Crow Creek Reservation by establishing Native American Telecom – Crow Creek, LLC, a tribally-owned advanced broadband CLEC telecommunications business.

“In establishing a tribally-owned advanced broadband telecommunications system on the reservation, the tribe is exerting its sovereignty and developing a foundation for the future of the tribe and its children,” said Brandon Sazue, the tribe’s chairman. “We will be working with our telecommunications partners to provide jobs, opportunities for economic development, and access to services, like the Internet, that is necessary for self-sufficiency, prosperity and tribal independence.”

“The Crow Creek Sioux Nation has come together to form this historic partnership for the benefit of tribal members, who will have access to new telecommunications services, including an Internet library,” said Vice Chairman Randy Shields. “We have been working long and hard to make good things happen on the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation and will continue to work for the tribe and its members.”

The tribe has been diligently working with Native American Telecom Enterprise, LLC, a telecommunications service and economic development company, to implement a wireless broadband network on the reservation using advanced WiMAX technology.

According to Gene DeJordy, NATE’s CEO, “this is truly a historic partnership with the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe that fully embraces the sovereignty of the tribe with the objective of establishing an advanced broadband CLEC network that will serve as a foundation for economic development on the reservation and will allow the tribe to participate in opportunities created by the Obama administration’s economic stimulus plans.”

The network will support high-speed broadband services, voice service, data and Internet access and multimedia. Most significantly, according to Tom Reiman, NATE president, “an Internet library will be established that will make available computers and free Internet access to tribal members.”

The tribe is also working with businesses to establish operations on the reservation, which will provide economic development opportunities and jobs for tribal members. The tribe expects to have its telecommunications system operational by August.

On May 28, the Crow Creek Sioux Tribal Council met and approved the establishment of Native American Telecom – Crow Creek to provide local telephone and broadband services on the reservation. The council was united in unanimously approving this new initiative. Tribal Council members include Sazue, Shields, Norman Thompson, Tommy Thompson, Duane St. John, and Kitty Wells.