After months of lobbying by Cultural Survival and our Indigenous Community Radio partners, the proposed telecommunications bill has received a favorable recommendation from the Indigenous Peoples Committee of the Guatemalan Congress. An official ceremony took place January 14th at the Salon del Pueblo of the Congreso de la Republica where Congressman Rodolfo Castenon, the president of the Pueblos Indigenas Committee, delivered the signed initiative to the legislative directorate.

Hundreds of Native language advocates convened on Capitol Hill this past May, asking Congress to approve a minimum of $10 million in additional federal support for the Esther Martinez Act, which funds Native American language immersion schools, master-apprentice programs, and other revitalization projects.