I SECTION 5. Indigenous Peoples Connectivity Coordinating Council. 2 Coordinating Council shall be established to formulate plans and programs in connection 3 with the implementation of the provisions of this Act. This Council shall be composed of 4 the following officials or their representatives: Chairperson of the NCIP, the 5 Commissioner of the NTC and the Director of the NCC. The Council shall be supported 6 by a Secretariat. - A 7 SECTION 6. Block Grant Program. - (A) Establishment. - There is established 8 within the NTC a Rural Telecommunications Block Grant Program to provide grants on a 9 competitive basis to eligible entities to cany out activities under Section 4(E). 10 11 12 13 (B) Block Grants. - The Commissioner may provide a block grant to an eligible entity that submits a block grant application to the NTC for approval. ( C ) Eligible Activities. - A grant under this Section may only be used for an eligible activity. 14 (D) Regulations. - Not later than one hundred eighty (180) days after the date of 15 enactment of this Act, the Commissioner shall promulgate regulations establishing 16 specific criteria for the competition conducted to select eligible entities to receive grants 17 under this Section for each fiscal year. 18 SECTION 7. Training ana' Technical Assistance Grants. - (A) Notification and 19 Criteria - The Council shall provide notice of the availability of training and technical 20 assistance grants and publish criteria for selecting recipients. 21 22 (B) Grunts. - The NCC and NTG may provide training and technical assistance grants to eligible entities with a demonstrated capacity to carry out eligible activities. 23 (C) Use of Funds. - A training and technical assistance grant shall be used to - (1) 24 develop a training program to facilitate local use and maintenance of new 25 telecommunications technologies; (2) develop and implement - 26 21 (a) telecommunications and information technology work study programs; 5