* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [00:00:01]
          UH, SO WE CAN 
          [CALL TO ORDER]
GO AHEAD AND START OUR ATX N BROADCAST. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          HELLO EVERYONE. 
          MY NAME IS NEHEMIAH PITS, THE THIRD, AND I'M THE CHAIR OF THE COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION. 
          CALLING TO ORDER A REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING WILL BEGIN, UH, WITH A ROLL CALL OF THE CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS. 
          AND WE ALL HAVE A COPY OF THE AGENDA, AS WELL AS THE MINUTES. 
          I'M GOING TO READ THE ATTENDANCE IN THE ORDER AND JUST IF I COULD GET A VERBAL CONFIRMATION FROM EVERYONE ONLINE FOR THE SAKE OF EXPEDIENCY, AS I MENTIONED, I'M PRESENT, I HAVE MY CHAIR, STEVEN APODACA, UH, VICE CHAIRS. 
          DO YOU HAVE A DOG IS PRESENT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND COMMISSIONER DAVE FLOYD AND PRESENT AND COMMISSIONER JENNIFER RAMOS AND COMMISSIONER SUMMIT. 
          DASGUPTA PRESENT AND COMMISSIONER MALCOLM YATES AND COMMISSIONER MAXINE ISLAND AS IT AND COMMISSIONER NICOLE THOMPSON BEAVERS AS IT. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          NEXT WE HAVE ON OUR AGENDA, PUBLIC COMMUNICATION OR CITIZEN COMMUNICATION AT THIS TIME, NO ONE HAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. 
          SO WE'LL PROCEED 
          [1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – February 9, 2022]
TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE FEBRUARY 9TH MEETING. 
          EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A COPY IN THEIR MEETING MATERIALS. 
          I'LL LOOK FOR A MOTION TO APPROVE AND A SECOND, AND THEN WE'LL HOLD THE VOTE. 
          I MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. 
          GOT A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES BY COMMISSIONER DUSK, SCOOPED UP SECOND, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER THOMPSON, BEAVERS WITH THAT, THEN WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A VERBAL VOTE ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MINUTES AS PRESENTED, PLEASE SAY AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          IS THERE ANYONE OPPOSED? GREAT. 
          THANK YOU WITH THAT. 
          THEN LET THE RECORD REFLECT WITH A VOTE OF NINE IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. 
          THE MINUTES ARE APPROVED WITH THAT. 
          THEN WE'LL PROCEED TO 
          [2A. FY 2021 Residential Technology Study: Qualitative Analysis of the Digital Divide in Austin by MEASURE Austin (Paulette Blanc, Meme Styles, and Reyda Taylor)]
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO, STAFF AND COMMUNITY BRIEFINGS. 
          AND WE HAVE THREE PRESENTATIONS BEGINNING WITH THE AGENDA ITEM NUMBER EIGHT. 
          WE'RE VERY PLEASED TO WELCOME FOUR PRESENTATION PRESENTING SIMPLY ON THE F FISCAL YEAR 2021. 
          RESIDENTIAL TECHNOLOGY STUDY QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS BY MEASURE AUSTIN BY PAULETTE BLOCK AND MEAN STYLES AND READ A TAYLOR. 
          WELCOME. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          UM, SO I BELIEVE WE HAVE, THIS IS A NEW PLATFORM FOR ME. 
          UM, PAULA, DO YOU HAVE ACCESS? UM, THE CITY WILL BE PRESENTING ON OUR BEHALF. 
          UM, SO WE CAN JUST SAY NEXT SLIDE TO MOVE FORWARD. 
          AWESOME. 
          AND, UH, MY NAME IS MIMI STYLES. 
          I JUST KIND OF SORRY FOR THAT. 
          NO WORRIES. 
          IS THIS ONE THE CORRECT? IT SHOULD BE, IT LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT BE THE THIRD TAB ON THERE. 
          IT STARTS WITH ADDRESSING. 
          YES, THAT IS IT. 
          AWESOME. 
          DAD, PERMISSION, I START, UH, YES, PLEASE GO RIGHT AHEAD. 
          MAYBE. 
          THANK YOU AGAIN. 
          OH YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. 
          UM, WELL HELLO EVERYONE. 
          MIMI STILES. 
          I GET TO BE THE PRESIDENT AND THE FOUNDER OF MEASURE. 
          UM, WE ARE A RESEARCH AND PUBLIC EDUCATION ORGANIZATION. 
          UM, WE CALL OURSELVES DATA ACTIVISTS. 
          WE ARE, UM, SO INCREDIBLY HONORED TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS WORK WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UM, AND TO ELEVATE THE EXPERIENCES OF THOSE THAT ARE MOST IMPACTED BY, UM, BY DIGITAL INEQUITY, TO BE HONEST. 
          AND SO, UM, WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, AND I GUESS WHAT WE'LL DO TOO IS AS PAULETTE, IF, AS YOU AND 
          [00:05:01]
RITA JUMP IN, IF YOU GUYS WANT TO INTRODUCE YOURSELVES FIRST OR BEFORE YOU CONTINUE, BUT AT MEASURE, UM, WE STARTED IN 2015. 
          UM, I REALLY STARTED THE ORGANIZATION IN ORDER TO PROMOTE THE USE OF EQUITABLE AND ANTI-RACIST EVALUATION METHODS, UM, AND ALSO TO REALLY TELL REAL LIFE STORIES BEHIND THE NUMBERS. 
          AND SO SINCE THEN WE REALLY BECOME A CATALYST FOR SYSTEMS CHANGE IN AUSTIN AND BEYOND AT THIS POINT. 
          AND WE'VE REALLY GROWN OUR NONPROFIT INTO, UM, A, UM, A PRETTY INCREDIBLE SOCIAL ENTERPRISE. 
          THAT'S SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITY IN WAYS THAT ARE CHANGING SYSTEMS AND TRANSFORMING, UM, AND TRANSFORMING SYSTEMS AS WELL. 
          AND SO WE HAVE TWO SOLUTIONS THAT WE BRING TO THE TABLE AT MEASURE, UM, TO, YOU KNOW, NUMBER ONE IS THAT WE PROVIDE FREE DATA SUPPORT TO BROWN INDIGENOUS LED ORGANIZATIONS. 
          AND THEN WE ALSO DO THE WORK TO CULTIVATE COMMUNITY POWER BUILDING IN ORDER TO FIGHT STRUCTURAL RACISM. 
          YUP. 
          YOU'LL SEE, DOWN THERE. 
          THE BIG PROBLEM THAT WE'RE SOLVING IS THAT LIVED EXPERIENCES ABOUT, UM, ABOUT THESE COMPLEX ISSUES THAT HAVE TO DEAL WITH RACISM, UM, IS REALLY NOT USED EFFECTIVELY FOR, OR QUANTITATIVE. 
          AND QUALITATIVE IS NOT REALLY USED EFFECTIVELY FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE. 
          AND SO, AND THAT'S REALLY BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF EQUITABLE DATA TOOLS BECAUSE OF RACISM, UM, AND BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF VILLAGE SUPPORT. 
          SO IN OUR WORK WE WERE WE'RE, UM, JUST MOVING FORWARD WITH FIGHTING BACK BY PROVIDING TREE DATA SUPPORT AND BY CULTIVATING COMMUNITY POWER BUILDING AND GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, AND SO THIS IS OUR THEORY OF CHANGE. 
          UM, IF POWERFUL BLACK, BROWN AND MULTIRACIAL AND ETHNIC COMMUNITIES, I ALSO NEED TO INCLUDE INDIGENOUS IN THERE. 
          UM, UH, IF WE PROVIDE FREE DATA SUPPORT AND TRAINING AND WORK TO CULTIVATE COMMUNITY POWER BUILDING THE MOUSE, SAME COMMUNITIES WILL BE EQUIPPED TO USE THE DATA TO, UM, TO MOBILIZE AND TO ELIMINATE SOCIAL DISPARITIES AND ULTIMATELY RESULTING IN A WORLD FREE OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, JUSTICE, AND ECONOMIC INEQUITIES. 
          AND SO THE, THE REASON WHY THIS IS OUR THEORY OF CHANGES, BECAUSE WE DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE REPORT THAT WE WROTE TODAY AND THAT WE'RE PRESENTING TO THE CITY TODAY SHOULD BE SOMETHING THAT YOU PUT ON THE SHELF OR SOMETHING THAT JUST KIND OF SITS ON THE DESK. 
          BUT INSTEAD USED AS A TOOL FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND SOCIAL AND SOCIAL CHANGE. 
          WHAT I, UM, AS A RESEARCHER, I THINK IT'S MOST, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT WHO WE WROTE THIS FOR, IT WAS WRITTEN FOR OUR COMMUNITY. 
          IT WAS WRITTEN TO BE A TOOL SO THAT SELF-ADVOCACY CAN, CAN, CAN TRULY BE ELEVATED, RIGHT? SO YOU'LL, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT IN THE REPORT, IF YOU'VE, UM, HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT IT SO FAR, IT SHOULD BE, UM, SIMPLE FOR EVERYONE. 
          AND THAT'S, THAT IS OUR THAT'S OUR GOAL IS THAT EVERYONE IS ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE DATA AND IT'S, AND IT'S ACTUALLY USED AS A TOOL FOR CHANGE. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, I CAN, I CAN, COULD KIND OF CONTINUE HER PALLETTE IF THAT'S OKAY. 
          UM, SO AT MEASURE, WE HAVE FOUR TOOLS THAT WE USE, UM, TO SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY. 
          THE FIRST IS THE MEASURE CARE MODEL, AND THAT WAS A CO-CREATED COMMUNITY TOOL EVALUATION TOOL FOR IT'S. 
          IT LASTS IT'S 12 CONSECUTIVE MEETINGS. 
          IT'S INTENTIONAL SUPPORT BETWEEN A CERTIFIED MEASURE EDUCATOR AND A COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION, OR A ORGANIZATION THAT JUST SERVES, UM, THAT SERVES OUR COMMUNITY. 
          UM, AND THAT RESULTS IN MORE OF LIKE AN EVALUATION OF A PROGRAM. 
          IT, IT HELPS AN ORGANIZATION COME UP WITH, UM, THEIR PROBLEM STATEMENT, THEIR HIGH LEVEL SOLUTIONS, THEIR SUBSEQUENT METRICS IN ORDER TO TRACK THEIR PROGRESS. 
          THE COMMUNITY SURVEY DESIGN TOOL IS ANOTHER, IS ANOTHER COMMUNITY PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH TYPE, UM, METHOD OF CREATING A SURVEY WHERE OUR COMMUNITY IS ACTUALLY THE ONES CREATING THE SURVEY. 
          THEY ARE, UM, LOOKING AT THE DATA AND THAT, UM, AND THEY'RE, CO-PRODUCING THE RESULTS. 
          UM, THE COMMUNITY IMPACT METRICS TOOL IS JUST ANOTHER TOOL THAT WE HAVE TAKEN OUT OF THE CARE MODEL TO HELP UNDERSTAND THE, UM, UH, AND WE'LL SHOW IMPACT. 
          UM, AND THEN THE EQUITY FOCUS GROUP TOOL. 
          AND THIS IS THE ACTUAL TOOL THAT, THAT OUR RESEARCHERS USED ON THIS STUDY. 
          AND IT'S REALLY TO BRING 
          [00:10:01]
COMMUNITIES TOGETHER THAT ARE MOST IMPACTED BY, UM, BY THE ISSUE THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING. 
          UM, SO THAT THE, THE DATA IS, IS TRULY REFLECTED FROM THEIR EXPERIENCE. 
          AND WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THE WAY THAT WE DO OUR WORK AT MEASURE IS THAT WE DON'T EVEN REALLY MEAN INTO IT FEELING AS IF WE KNOW THE QUESTIONS THAT ASK, LIKE WE DON'T, WE START WITH OUR COMMUNITIES EVEN DEVELOP THE RESEARCH PROTOCOL. 
          AND SO, UM, AND SO YOU'LL HEAR A LOT MORE ABOUT THAT FROM, FROM THESE TWO INCREDIBLE RESEARCHERS THAT DID THIS WORK, NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, AND I THINK I'M GOING TO END HERE, BUT I JUST REALLY WANTED TO SHARE, AND THIS IS A MOMENT TOO, FOR ME AS A FOUNDER TO JUST, JUST KIND OF, UM, SHARE WITH THE CITY, SOME OF THE INCREDIBLE WORK THAT THE EQUITY FOCUS GROUP TOOLS, JUST THAT ONE TOOL HAS RESULTED IN IT. 
          IT'S, UM, WE WORKED WITH THE, UM, AUSTIN CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS, UM, JUST RECENTLY DID A PRETTY EXTENSIVE QUALITATIVE STUDY ALONGSIDE THAT, UM, PARTNERSHIP, UH, CHILDREN'S OPTIMAL HEALTH AND OTHER PRETTY INCREDIBLE STORE, UM, STUDY THERE IT'S TIME, TEXAS BLACK, MATERNAL HEALTH COLLABORATIVE, UM, WHICH HAS REALLY BRANCHED OFF INTO SEVERAL OTHER PROJECTS, UH, AUSTIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, BECAUSE OF OUR TOOL. 
          THEY WERE ABLE TO BE PUSH MONEY TO, UM, BLACK AND BROWN WOMEN IN A MORE INTENTIONAL WAY. 
          UH, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, WHOLE COMMUNITY, WHOLE HEALTH INCREDIBLE PARTNERSHIP THERE WITH SOME WORK, UM, USING THAT CLEAN FOCUS GROUP PROCESS. 
          UM, AND RIGHT NOW WE ARE, UM, WE'RE GEARING UP TO WORK WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN WATERSHED, UM, UH, DEPARTMENT AND ALSO PEOPLE'S COMMUNITY CLINIC IS ANOTHER, UM, ANOTHER ORGANIZATION THAT'S USING THE EQUITY FOCUS GROUPS TOOLS. 
          SO SEVERAL, UM, AND I THINK I WILL CALL THAT. 
          WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND YES. 
          WELL, YOU GO TO, WILL YOU MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE PLEASE? UM, GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. 
          MY NAME IS PAULETTE BLANK. 
          I AM HONORED TO BE ONE OF THE CO-FOUNDERS OF MEASURE AND ALSO SERVING AS CHIEF OF RESEARCH FOR MEASURE. 
          I WAS ONE OF THE RESEARCHERS ALONGSIDE DR. 
          ARENA OR NUCCI AND DR. 
          RITA TAYLOR TO FACILITATE, UM, OUR EQUITY FOCUS GROUP TOOL FOR THE RESIDENTIAL TECHNOLOGY STUDY. 
          SO THE NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES, NEXT COUPLE OF MINUTES, WE'LL SUMMARIZE ALL OF THE WORK AND QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS THAT WE DID, WHICH WAS BUILT OUT INTO A HISTORICAL TIMELINE AND WHAT WE CALL A MEASURE, BLACK PAPER, THAT RELIGIOUS SUMMARIZES THE FINDINGS FROM OUR SEVERAL DIFFERENT FOCUS GROUPS. 
          WELL, FIRST OFF HERE, WE HAVE A HISTORICAL TIMELINE AND FOR US HISTORY IS DATA. 
          UM, WE REVIEWED, UM, WHAT WOULD YOU HEAR JUST SOME OF THE HISTORICAL, UM, HIGHLIGHTS AND EVENTS THAT HAVE HAPPENED THAT, THAT CONTRIBUTE TO DIGITAL INEQUITY. 
          AND THESE ARE, UM, ALSO THINGS THAT WE'VE HEARD THROUGHOUT THE FOCUS GROUPS, AS WE ASK COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT WERE PARTAKING IN THAT, UM, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT'S HAPPENED OVER TIME, THAT THEY BELIEVE WERE CONTRIBUTING TO IT OR THINGS THAT THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED. 
          AND SO JUST AS TECHNOLOGY BUILDS ON ITSELF AND EARLIER PLATFORMS, WE SEE THAT A LOT OF THESE SYSTEMIC INEQUITIES AND TRAUMA THAT COMMUNITIES HAVE EXPERIENCED REALLY COMPOUND ON ONE ANOTHER. 
          SO MOST EVENTS REFLECT THAT. 
          AND JUST A QUICK NOTE THAT, UM, THESE FINAL DELIVERABLES WILL BE UPDATED. 
          SO THIS TIMELINE IN PARTICULAR, THERE'LL BE ADDITIONAL THINGS THAT WE WILL ADD AS IT RELATES TO REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS, UM, LIKE PUBLIC TELEVISION ACCESS AND SOME OF THOSE EVENTS ALONG THAT. 
          SO I'LL GO OVER, UM, THESE KEY EVENTS STARTING IN 1865 IS WORTH OF TIMELINE STARTS. 
          THIS IS WHERE WE SEE JUNETEENTH HAPPENS. 
          AND THEN THERE IS, UM, THIS IS AROUND JUNE 19TH, 1865, WHEREAS THE BUILDING UP FRIEDMAN COMMUNITIES HERE IN AUSTIN AS, UM, BLACK PEOPLE BEGIN TO SETTLE IN THE AREA. 
          AND AGAIN, TO TRY TO EXPERIENCE THE FREEDOM OF BEING, UH, EMANCIPATED, WE ALSO DO SEE THAT THIS TIMEFRAME IS WHERE OUR CITY BOTH, UM, REALLY CALLED OR, UM, EXCEPT IT REALLY ACCESSES POLICING OF BLACK BODIES AS THEY WERE, UM, FREE NOW. 
          UM, ANYTHING SUCH AS BEING IDLE WAS, UM, THINGS THAT WERE REALLY BEING POLICED. 
          THIS, UM, ANTI-BLACK VIOLENCE WAS ALSO, UM, WHERE WE SEE, UH, THIS, UM, REALLY SPIKING UP AND SO FAST FORWARD TO 1928, WE HAVE THE CREATION OF THE 1928 MASTER PLAN. 
          AND THIS IS REALLY, UM, 
          [00:15:01]
DIVIDING, UM, AUSTIN OR MOVING, UM, AUSTIN, UM, BY PEOPLE IN AUSTIN. 
          AND SO THE NEGRO DISTRICT ARE REALLY SEGREGATING AND MOVING THINGS, MOVING PEOPLE OVER TO THE EAST SIDE OF AUSTIN, WHERE THE FRIEDMAN COMMUNITIES WERE A BIT MORE, UM, ALL OVER SOME IN THE WEST AREA. 
          THIS PLANT CAN REALLY PUSH THINKING SEATS AND DIVIDING. 
          UM, AUSTIN WITH EASTERN WEST AND BLACK PEOPLE ARE IN PARTICULAR BEING PUSHED INTO, UM, THE EAST SIDE OF AUSTIN, AS WELL AS ALSO THE HISPANIC AND LATINO COMMUNITY. 
          WE ALSO DID LOOK AT LIKE THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN POLICIES THAT HAPPEN ON A NATIONAL LEVEL, SUCH AS RED LINING THE HEALTH, THE NATIONAL HOUSING ACT OF 1934 IS ONE THAT WE SEE THAT REALLY SOLIDIFIES SEGREGATION WITHIN COMMUNITIES ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES. 
          AND AUSTIN DEFINITELY WASN'T A CITY THAT WAS NOT AFFECTED BY THAT. 
          AND SO WE STILL SEE A LOT OF THIS TODAY THAT IT INFLUENCES THE LANDSCAPES OF THE CITY WHERE RESOURCES WERE, UM, PROVIDED OR, UM, LACK OF RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN VARIOUS AREAS IN THE CITIES. 
          WE ALSO SEE HERE IN 1953, THE UNDER-REPRESENT THE UNDER-REPRESENTATION, UM, OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS, PARTICULARLY COMMUNITY MEMBERS, BLACK COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN HISPANIC COMMUNITY MEMBERS, OR JUST DIVERSE MULTI-ETHNIC COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UM, IN THE REPRESENTATION OF THE CITY COUNCIL. 
          SO THIS, THE CITY ADOPTED AN AT-LARGE MODEL, AND THIS, UH, WAS DIRECT A DIRECT REACTION TO, UM, AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN WHO RAN FOR CITY COUNCIL AND ALMOST WON UNDER THE SYSTEM THAT WAS IN PLACE. 
          AND SO THIS INFURIATED THE WAY ALREADY AND SHORTLY AFTER WE SEE THAT THIS MODEL IS ADOPTED, IT REALLY REMOVED THE, REPRESENT. 
          IT REALLY SOLIDIFIED REMOVING ANY REPRESENTATION, UM, IN COUNSEL FOR, UM, BLACK OR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. 
          AND IT STOPPED THEM FROM REALLY CONCENTRATING THEIR VOTING POWER WITHIN A SINGLE CANDIDATE TO BE ABLE TO MAKE ANY IMPACT OR GET REPRESENTATION ON CITY COUNCIL. 
          WE ALSO SEE TOO THERE'S SEGREGATION OF SCHOOLS THAT HAPPENS, UM, HERE IN 1954 IS WHERE WE SEE THE SUPREME, THE U S SUPREME COURT, THE BROWN VS VS BOARD OF EDUCATION THAT REALLY SOLIDIFIED THE DESEGREGATION OF SCHOOLS IN THE U S UM, WE BRING THAT TO THAT PIECE, UM, TO LIGHT BECAUSE EDUCATION IS LUCKILY SOMETHING THAT HAS COME UP AND IT'S PART OF THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE A PERSON'S ABILITY TO HAVE DIGITAL ACCESS. 
          AND SO, ALTHOUGH WE JUST PRESENT THIS, THERE'S SEVERAL DIFFERENT EVENTS THAT HAVE HAPPENED OVER TIME WITHIN EDUCATION THAT CONTRIBUTE TO DIGITAL, THE LACK OF DIGITAL ACCESS. 
          WE ALSO SEE AROUND THIS TIME SPRING IN 1954, THAT THE CONSTRUCTION OF  BEGINS IN TEXAS AND AUSTIN. 
          UM, THIS  RELIEF FURTHER DIVIDED THE CITY INTO EAST AND WEST. 
          WELL, WE PRIMARILY SEE THE WEST PREDOMINANTLY WHITE AND MORE INFRA INFRASTRUCTURE AND RESOURCES BEING DEPLOYED INTO THOSE AREAS. 
          WE ALSO SEE TWO HERE IN 1957 IS WHERE THIS IDEATION OF AUSTIN BECOMING A TECH CITY AND SEVERAL PROMINENT COMMUNITY LEADERS, REALLY HAVING SEVERAL THINK TANKS TO REALLY BRING THIS IDEA TO LIFE. 
          IN 1964, WE HIGHLIGHTS THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT HERE. 
          THIS HELPED TO MAKE IT ILLEGAL, TO DISCRIMINATE IN TERMS OF HIRING PRACTICES. 
          IN 1980, WE SEE THIS VISION OF, UM, AUSTIN BEING TESTED. 
          IF YOU'RE COMING TO LIFE IN AUSTIN NOW BECOMING SCHOOL COUNCILS, UM, BEING DUBBED AS SILICON HILLS AND HAVING TECH CITIES LIKE SOUND TECH COMPANIES LIKE SAMSUNG, APPLE, UM, MOVING INTO, UM, THE AUSTIN AREA AND MAKING THAT THEIR HEADQUARTERS IN SOME SENSE IN 1990S IS ALSO WHERE WE BEGIN TO SEE, UM, THIS IDENTIFICATION OF A DIGITAL DIVIDE. 
          AND SO ON A NATIONAL LEVEL, THERE WERE, UM, THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION, UM, WAS MAKING PLANS TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS SOME OF THAT, OR, UM, REALLY COME UP WITH, UM, SOME PROGRAMS TO HELP WITH ADDRESSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE. 
          UM, WE SEE THAT THERE'S ALSO A CHANGE IN ADMINISTRATION TOO, THAT HAPPENS WITH THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION, THAT MARCEL JUST FINGERS BRING MARKETS TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES AND, UM, ALLOW THAT TO BE ABLE TO BE THE SOLUTION HERE IN AUSTIN. 
          IN 1995, I SEE ONE OF THE EARLIER EFFORTS OF, UM, ADDRESSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE HAPPENED WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE AUSTIN FREENET AS AN ORGANIZATION. 
          THEY WERE THE FIRST TO WIRE, THE CITY LIBRARIES AND PUT PUBLIC, UM, BUT COMPUTERS IN SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY 
          [00:20:01]
CENTERS AROUND THE OXYGEN, AND THEY STILL PROVIDE MANY SERVICES TODAY. 
          WE ALSO SEE ON OUR TIMELINE IN THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS, WE HIGHLIGHT SOCIAL MEDIA. 
          AND SO THIS CAME UP AS WE MOVE INTO THE DIGITAL AGE, MODERN SOCIAL MEDIA AND HAVING INFORMATION BEING QUICKLY ACCESSIBLE ON YOUR PHONE. 
          THIS IS NOTABLE, UM, AS A FACT OR EXPERIENCE THAT CAME UP IN FOCUS GROUPS AS WHEN, PARTICULARLY IN THE WINTER STORM, 2021 BACK IN FEBRUARY, WHERE THERE WAS A WINTER STORM AND MANY RESOURCES WERE BEING, UM, AN INFORMATION WAS BEING PROVIDED ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. AND SO THOSE WHO DID NOT HAVE, UM, ACCESS DIGITAL ACCESS WERE AT A DISADVANTAGE AND THIS, IT COULD BE VERY LIFE AND DEATH FOR FOLKS. 
          AND SO THIS IS KEY TO JUST TAKE NOTE OF, AS WE BUILD OUT, UM, EMERGENCY RESPONSES AND BEING, UM, INCLUSIVE IN THAT WAY. 
          AND THEN THE LAST THING TO HIGHLIGHT THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, THIS REALLY PUSHED PRETTY QUICKLY EVERYTHING TO BE SHIFTING OPERATIONS TO MORE OF A DIGITAL PLATFORM AND OPERATING IN THAT SPACE THAT ALSO CLOSED OFF A LOT OF PUBLIC SPACES, UM, THAT WERE PROVIDING, UM, DIGITAL ACCESS, LIKE LIBRARIES WERE CLOSED. 
          AND SO WHERE THAT WAS A MEANS FOR FOLKS, THEY DID NOT HAVE THAT ACCESS. 
          AND THEN WE ALSO SEE THAT THE PANDEMIC REALLY HIGHLIGHTED A LOT OF THE DISPARITIES THAT WERE HAPPENING IN PARTICULARLY IN PUBLIC HEALTH AND WHICH COMMUNITIES, PARTICULARLY BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES THAT WERE HAVING HIGHER, UM, HIGHER, HIGHER RATES OF COVID AMONGST THEIR COMMUNITIES. 
          AND SO THAT REALLY SUMMARIZES OUR TIMELINE OVERALL, THIS TIMELINE IS INTENDED TO HELP US VIEW DIGITAL INCLUSION AS NOT JUST A SILOED ISSUE OR JUST A CYCLE ISSUE, THE SYSTEMIC ISSUES THAT WE SEE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          AND SO THE NEXT COUPLE SLIDES WE'LL FOCUS ON OUR BLACK PAPER. 
          SO THIS NAME PRIMARILY SUMMARIZES THAT THE MEDICAL ANALYSIS FOCUS FACILITATED. 
          THIS IS, AS YOU MENTIONED, A COMMUNITY THINKING DOCUMENT AS EVERYTHING WE DO IS IN SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY. 
          UM, WE WILL GO, UH, WITH JUST GIVING A BIT OF THE BACKGROUND THAT WAS DESCRIBED. 
          UM, THE INTRO, THE FIRST COUPLE OF PAGES REALLY PROVIDE AN INTRODUCTION TO BOTH OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE INVOLVED, SO MEASURE AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN. 
          UM, AND THEN SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE RESIDENTIAL TECHNOLOGY STUDY ITSELF. 
          WE ALSO DESCRIBED THE ACCESS, BOTH TECHNICAL, TECHNICAL, AND FINANCIAL MEANS TO MAKE FULL USE OF TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE AND ACCESS TO INTERNET. 
          WE ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT DIGITAL ACCESS GOES BEYOND ISSUES OF JUST INTERNET ACCESS AND INDIVIDUAL ABILITIES, AND INCLUDES A PROBLEM OF INCLUSIVITY AND STOMACH INEQUITIES AND INSTITUTIONS. 
          WE ALSO HIGHLIGHT A FEW KEY FACTS FROM A 2018 SURVEY THAT THE CITY CONDUCTED THAT SHOWED THAT 95% OF THE RESPONDENTS HAD BROADBAND INTERNET CONNECTION THAT THERE WAS, WHICH WAS AN INCREASE FROM 2014, WHERE THERE WAS ABOUT 92% AMONG THOSE THAT DID NOT AMONG THE 5% THAT INDICATED THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE INTERNET CONNECTION AT HOME, 72%, UM, USE INTERNET AT ANOTHER LOCATION LIKE PUBLIC LIBRARIES, AS A MEANS FOR, UM, BROADBAND CONNECTION. 
          WE ALSO JUST TALK A BIT MORE ABOUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDED FOR DIGITAL ACCESS, SUCH AS CELL TOWERS AND THE PROXIMITY TO CELL TOWERS, BEING TOWERS, BEING A FACTOR. 
          WE ALSO TALK ABOUT THE, UM, I 35 DIVIDE IN WHICH, UM, WE CAN SEE THERE, THE INFRASTRUCTURAL DIFFERENCES WITHIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN THAT ALSO CONTRIBUTES TO A LACK OF, UM, DIGITAL ACCESS. 
          AND SO HERE, WE ALSO JUST HIGHLIGHT JUST IN TERMS OF OUR METHODOLOGY AND THE FOCUS WE USE, OUR EQUITY FOCUS GROUP TOOL, THE FOCUS GROUPS ARE DESIGNED TO ELEVATE THE LIVED EXPERIENCES WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE MOST NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY THE PROBLEM THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING HERE, WHICH IS DIGITAL ACCESS AND INCLUDING THE VOICES OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY EXCLUDED. 
          UM, LOU RECRUITED FROM SEPTEMBER, 2021 ALL THE WAY THROUGH JANUARY, 2022 FOR US. 
          SO IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT RECRUITMENT HAPPENED UP UNTIL THE VERY LAST FOCUS GROUP, SO THAT THOSE WHO DID NOT HAVE ACCESS TO INTERNET OR ANY OTHER MEANS THAT WHERE YOU CAN QUICKLY GET INFORMATION, HAD SOME MUCH TIME AS POSSIBLE TO HEAR ABOUT THE FOCUS GROUPS AND HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE. 
          WE HAD, UM, A LOCAL COMMUNITY PARTNERS HELPING OUTREACH. 
          THERE WERE INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS FOR OUTREACH AND ALSO USING SOCIAL MEDIA RADIO, PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND THEN ALSO JUST DISTRIBUTIONS AT LOCAL LIBRARIES AND PUBLIC PLACES. 
          [00:25:01]
OVERALL, WE HAD 54 PARTICIPANTS. 
          WE OFFERED, UM, SESSIONS IN SPANISH AND IN TARI, PARTICULARLY IN DIARY TO CAPTURE, UM, OUR, UH, AT THE TIME TOO, THERE WAS AN INFLUX OF THE AFGHAN REFUGEE POPULATION. 
          AND WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE THAT THEIR EXPERIENCES AS THEY WERE COMING INTO AUSTIN, UM, A MORE DETAILED DEMOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWN IS PROVIDED IN THE REPORT. 
          SO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. 
          AND HERE IS LITTLE, I WILL PASS IT OFF TO DR. 
          RITA TAYLOR, IT'S PAULETTE, I'M GOING TO TAYLOR. 
          I WAS ABLE TO SUPPORT THIS PROJECT. 
          UM, AND IT WAS A REALLY GREAT TEAM TO WORK WITH. 
          SO I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE TONIGHT TO GET TO SHARE SOME OF OUR FINDINGS. 
          SO, YEAH, SO WE, UM, AS PAULETTE JUST SHARED ABOUT THE METHODS FOR DATA COLLECTION, AND ONCE WE GET THE DATA, WE HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT STRATEGY WE'RE GOING TO USE FOR ANALYSIS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S IN THE DATA ITSELF. 
          AND SO, BECAUSE WE TOOK AN ITERATIVE APPROACH TO BUILDING THE PROTOCOL TO MAKE SURE, AS PAULETTE MENTIONED, WE'RE INCLUDING PEOPLE IN RESPONDING TO THEMES THAT ARE SHOWING UP IN THE CONVERSATIONS. 
          UM, AN EXAMPLE WOULD BE STORMING URI, UH, THAT WASN'T IN THE ORIGINAL PROTOCOL, BUT AS WE CONTINUE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS, WE HEARD ABOUT IT. 
          SO LIKE, OKAY, LET'S DIG INTO THIS. 
          WE ADDED THAT TO THE PROTOCOL. 
          SO WHEN YOU HAVE AN EDITOR PROTOCOL, IT MEANS THAT YOU CAN'T TAKE THE DATA AND QUANTITATIVELY, AND NOW ANALYZE IT, WHICH IS GREAT BECAUSE IT MEANS WE'RE BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE FOLKS. 
          WE'RE TRYING TO HEAR FROM, TO, TO RECOGNIZE WHAT THEY'RE SAYING. 
          WE'RE NOT IMPOSING STRUCTURE ON THE INTERPRETATION FROM THE BEGINNING. 
          SO WE'VE USED THAT APPROACH A VERY HIGH LEVEL THEMATIC ANALYSIS WHERE WE'RE TAKING IT, UM, TRYING TO LOOK FOR THEMES ONCE WE GET ALL OF THE DATA IN. 
          AND, UM, SO TONIGHT WE'RE JUST SHARING THE KIND OF HIGH-LEVEL THEMES THAT WERE ALSO IN THE REPORT WITH YOU, SO THAT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF SOME OF THE KEY INSIGHTS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO GATHER WHAT THIS MEANS IS WE CAN'T USE, UM, HE CAN'T LOOK FOR FREQUENCIES. 
          LIKE HOW MANY TIMES WITH SOME THEME OR TOPIC BROUGHT UP, IT'S INAPPROPRIATE TO USE THAT APPROACH TO QUALITATIVELY ANALYZE DATA, UM, WHEN YOU HAVE AN ITERATIVE APPROACH LIKE WE DID FOR THE COLLECTION PIECE. 
          SO JUST KIND OF FYI, THERE'S LOTS OF WAYS TO APPROACH QUALITATIVE DATA. 
          UM, SO COULD YOU CHANGE THE SLIDE PLEASE? SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS THAT WE DID LEARN? UM, AND WE LEARNED A LOT AND, AND JUST KIND OF, AS A REMINDER, WE HAD FOLKS IN WE'LL BRING THIS UP, THAT, UM, WE'RE ABLE TO ATTEND IN MULTIPLE WAYS. 
          SO THEY WERE WITH THE DIAL IN, THEY WERE ABLE TO SUMMARY ABLE TO JOIN A VIDEO SUMMARY, NOT ABLE TO JOIN ON VIDEO, AND THAT REALLY HIGHLIGHTED, UM, THE BROAD BACKGROUND AND ACCESS ABILITY THAT FOLKS BROUGHT TO THE CONVERSATION. 
          UM, WE HAD FOLKS DROPPING IN AND OUT OF THE CONVERSATION BECAUSE OF, UH, NETWORK CHALLENGES OR ACCESS CHALLENGES, WHICH HAS REALLY HIGHLIGHTED WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO BETTER UNDERSTAND AS WELL. 
          UM, SO REALLY KIND OF ONE OF THE TOP THEMES THAT WE SAW WAS AROUND INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICE AND EQUITY, WHICH PAULA HIGHLIGHTED AS WELL IN THE, UM, ON THE TIMELINE. 
          SO WE KNOW THAT FOLKS ARE COMING TO THE SESSION WITH EXISTING ACCESS, CHALLENGE CHALLENGES, SOME ARE NOT. 
          UM, BUT WHAT WE HEARD A LOT ABOUT WAS, UH, FOLKS LACKING OPTIONS. 
          SO WHILE WE MAY HAVE A HIGH QUANTITATIVE RATE OF FOLKS WHO, UM, HAVE ACCESS TO BROADBAND, WHAT'S THE QUALITY OF THAT ACCESS AND HOW MANY OPTIONS DO THEY ACTUALLY HAVE WHEN THEY'RE GETTING TO CHOOSE THEIR ACCESS, UM, AND BEING ABLE TO PAY FOR IT. 
          SO THE INFRASTRUCTURE ACCESSIBILITY WAS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT CAME UP A LOT. 
          UM, FOLKS OFTEN WENT TO PUBLIC SPACES TO ACCESS INTERNET, LIKE, UM, COFFEE SHOPS AND LIBRARIES AND GROCERY STORES. 
          FOLKS BROUGHT THAT AS WELL. 
          UM, WE ALSO HEARD A LOT ABOUT KIND OF THE DIFFERENCE FOR FOLKS IN THEIR WIFI ACCESS VERSUS THEIR CELL COVERAGE ACCESS. 
          SO THOSE WERE BOTH CHALLENGING FOR FOLKS AND DEFINITELY INDICATE A LOT ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          UM, ONE OF THE REALLY KEY THINGS THAT CAME UP IN THESE CONVERSATIONS THAT HIGHLIGHTED THE INFRASTRUCTURE CHALLENGE WAS AROUND STORE AND URI. 
          SO FOLKS DEFINITELY DESCRIBED THAT, UM, IF THEY WERE USING INTERNET ACCESS, ESPECIALLY SOCIAL NETWORKS, LIKE FACEBOOK, TO BE ABLE TO CONNECT AND UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING AND GOING ON TO THE COMMUNITY, AND THEN THEY LOSE THAT ACCESS BECAUSE SOMETHING LIKE STORM URI, NOT ONLY, THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO PREPARE FOR THAT STORM, BUT THEN THEY AREN'T ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THINGS AS, UM, STUFF IS HAPPENING IN REAL TIME. 
          SO LOSING THAT ACCESS WAS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THEMSELVES AS INDIVIDUALS TO KEEP UP WITH THEIR LOVED ONES, TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO ACCESS RESOURCES, UM, AS THEY MIGHT'VE BEEN LACKING THEM. 
          UM, AND THEN ALSO, UM, JUST TRYING TO NAVIGATE THAT CRISIS AND PREPARE FOR IT. 
          SO IT WAS REALLY KEY THAT INFRASTRUCTURE, THAT DIGITAL ACCESS WAS REALLY KEY IN BEING ABLE TO PREPARE AND RESPOND TO THAT STORM. 
          ANOTHER KEY THING THAT WE REALLY HEARD A LOT ABOUT ACROSS THE GROUPS WAS, UM, EXISTING PRIVILEGE. 
          SO THERE'S A COMPOUNDING INEQUITIES HAPPENING WHEN IT TO DIGITAL EQUITY. 
          AND, UM, YOU MAY NOT HAVE ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION TO BE ABLE TO GET YOU TO A PUBLIC SPACE, TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS INTERNET A LIBRARY FOR INSTANCE. 
          AND IF THAT, UM, IF WE'RE HAVING A CHALLENGE WITH, UM, GENTRIFICATION AND PEOPLE ARE BEING PUSHED FURTHER AND FURTHER AWAY FROM THESE PUBLIC ACCESS POINTS, 
          [00:30:01]
IT CAN COST EVEN MORE TO GET INTO A SPACE, TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS DIGITAL, UM, TO ACCESS THE INTERNET. 
          AND SO THEN PEOPLE ALSO DESCRIBED HAVING TO MAKE CHOICES ABOUT, UM, WHETHER TO PAY FOR INTERNET OR HOW MUCH THEY COULD PAY FOR, AND IT ON TOP OF THE CONFUSION ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE PAYING FOR SOMETIMES IN THE QUALITY OF IT NOT BEING WHAT THEY EXPECT. 
          SO THERE'S ALL OF THESE CHOICES THAT FOLKS ARE HAVING TO MAKE EVEN HEARD FROM AN INDIVIDUAL WHO DESCRIBED HAVING TO, UM, GO TO FEDEX TO PRINT EMAILS BECAUSE NOT BEING ABLE TO ACCESS, UM, PUBLIC SPACES EASILY FOR THE INTERNET, ESPECIALLY DURING THE PANDEMIC. 
          UM, SO AS THE PANDEMIC HIT, FOLKS SUDDENLY LOST A LOT OF THEIR ACCESS ONLINE. 
          SO IF THEY ALREADY HAD ACCESS GOOD ACCESS, THEY MIGHT'VE BEEN ABLE TO NAVIGATE THE PANDEMIC WITH THEIR JOB OR WITH OTHER KINDS OF RESOURCES, ORDER GROCERIES, THINGS LIKE THAT IN A DIFFERENT WAY TO FOLKS WHO ALREADY LACKED, UM, INTERNET ACCESS AND PRIVILEGE IN THAT WAY. 
          SO IT'S THIS COMPOUNDING EFFECT WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, DIGITAL ACCESS. 
          AND THERE'S A BIT OF AN IRA THAT WAS BROUGHT UP OVER AND OVER THAT IF YOU ALREADY HAVE ACCESS, YOU'RE MORE LIKELY TO BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF BUILDING YOUR LITERACY SKILLS OF BEING ABLE TO ACCESS CERTAIN THINGS ONCE THAT WAS REMOVED. 
          AND I'M ONLY WHERE YOU WERE REMOVED FROM THE FOLKS THAT, UM, YOU MIGHT HAVE USED TO HELP SUPPORT YOU IN YOUR LEARNING AROUND THE INTERNET OR AROUND DIGITAL TOOLS. 
          UM, BUT YOU ALSO PROBABLY LOST ACCESS TO YOUR SOCIAL SOCIAL NETWORKS TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT YOU DURING THAT TIME. 
          SO THERE'S A LOT OF PRIVILEGE THAT WAS ALREADY BUILT INTO DIGITAL ACCESS. 
          AND, UM, IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT, IT'S HARD TO LEARN THOSE SKILLS AND IT'S HARD TO ACCESS MORE. 
          I NEEDED TO FIND OUT ABOUT HOW TO ACCESS MORE. 
          SO SOME PEOPLE DESCRIBED, UM, UH, PRIVATE PLACES THAT THEY LIKE PRIVATE COMPANIES. 
          SO IN ADDITION TO LIBRARIES, APPLE AND BEST BUY WERE PLACES WHERE THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO ACCESS INTERNET OR, OR LEARN SOME NEW SKILL WHEN IT COMES TO CERTAIN TECHNOLOGY. 
          AND SO THEY WERE NO LONGER ABLE TO DO THAT IN PERSON AS WELL. 
          SO ALL OF THIS COMPOUNDING EFFECT WHEN IT COMES TO THE PANDEMIC AND EFFECT ON THAT. 
          AND THEN, UM, WE ALSO LEARNED A LOT ABOUT HOW FOLKS, UM, THE DIGITAL, THE SKILLS THAT ARE NEEDED TO BUILD THE DIGITAL LITERACY, UM, THAT IS ALSO A CHALLENGE TO ACCESS WHEN A LOT OF IT'S BEING DELIVERED ONLINE DURING THE PANDEMIC. 
          SO, UM, WHERE PEOPLE MIGHT'VE BEEN ABLE TO, UH, GO TO A PLACE TO LEARN IN PERSON THEY'RE NO LONGER ABLE TO USE THAT RESOURCE. 
          THEY MIGHT'VE HAD FAMILY MEMBERS WHO COULD SUPPORT THEM IN THAT LEARNING. 
          WE'VE DEFINITELY LEARNED A LOT ABOUT KIND OF INTERGENERATIONAL AND COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING WHEN IT COMES TO BUILDING DIGITAL SKILLS. 
          AND, UM, FOR THOSE FOLKS WHO WERE CUT OFF OR SEPARATED BECAUSE OF THAT LACK OF DIGITAL ACCESS THAT BECAME EVEN HARDER TO BUILD THOSE SKILLS. 
          WE ALSO HEARD A LOT, UM, THE, THE LEVEL OF, UM, KNOWLEDGE THAT MUST ALSO BE HAD IN ORDER TO ACCESS SOME OF THAT LEARNING. 
          SO FOR INSTANCE, UM, WE HEARD FROM SOMEONE ABOUT A FEW PEOPLE ABOUT, UM, UH, TRYING TO NAVIGATE EMPLOYMENT SITES WITH A FAMILY MEMBER, UM, WHO MAY NOT HAVE HAD, UM, HE MAY NOT HAVE SPOKEN ENGLISH OR ALSO DIDN'T HAVE SOME OF THE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT SOME OF THE REALLY ADVANCED TECHNICAL WORDS THAT WERE BEING USED ON SOME OF THESE SITES THAT WERE IN AN EFFORT TO HELP SOMEONE BUILD LITERACY SKILLS OR TO NAVIGATE DROP ONLINE. 
          BUT THAT, UM, WE'RE IN THE LANGUAGE, NOT JUST IN A SEPARATE LANGUAGE ALTOGETHER, BUT ALSO IN A, UM, A TECHNICAL LANGUAGE THAT WASN'T ACCESSIBLE AND THE USER EXPERIENCE NOT BEING VERY ACCESSIBLE. 
          SO WE HEARD A LOT ABOUT, UM, CHALLENGES IN, IN, IN FOLKS BEING ABLE TO ACCESS THAT, NOT JUST FOR THEMSELVES, BUT FOR OTHERS THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO SUPPORT IN THEIR COMMUNITY OR IN THEIR FAMILY. 
          AND, UM, IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING. 
          AND SOME OF THE SESSIONS, WE HEARD A LOT OF FOLKS SHARING EMPATHY ABOUT NAVIGATING THAT AND SUPPORT FOR EACH OTHER. 
          AND THESE FOCUS GROUPS WERE VERY, UM, SUPPORTIVE AND, AND THERE WERE A FEW PEOPLE WHO ARE LIKE, I WILL HELP YOU JUST REACH OUT TO ME, SEND ME A PRIVATE MESSAGE AND I'LL, I'LL HELP YOU. 
          UM, THERE'S IF YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE ASKING A QUESTION, I CAN SUPPORT YOU, I'VE BEEN THERE. 
          SO WE HEARD FROM A LOT OF FOLKS THAT WERE COMING TOGETHER AND WILLING TO SHARE, UM, WITH EACH OTHER, WHICH I THINK CAN LEAD TO THEM. 
          THE KIND OF LAST ITEM THAT WE HAVE ON NAVIGATION TRUST MEANT ADOPTION, WHERE, UM, SO MUCH OF WHAT WE LEARNED IS THAT, UH, FOLKS SOMETIMES DON'T FEEL SAFE OR DON'T TRUST THE TOOLS THAT THEY'RE USING. 
          UM, THEY MAY NOT UNDERSTAND AN APP OR MAY NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE USING AN APP AND IT MADE IT BECAUSE IT'S TIED TO AN INSTITUTION THEY DON'T NECESSARILY TRUST, OR THEY ALREADY HAVE A LACK OF TRUST FOR THE INTERNET. 
          AND SO THEY'RE NERVOUS ABOUT USING IT FOR BANKING OR FOR HEALTH OR WHATEVER IT MAY BE. 
          AND SO THERE'S THIS TRUST ASPECT THAT, UM, ALSO KIND OF HAS TO BE BRIDGED AND NAVIGATED, AND THAT ALSO TIED BACK TO KIND OF TRANSPARENCY AROUND COSTS FOR THE OPTIONS PEOPLE HAVE FOR PAYING FOR INTERNET. 
          THERE'S NOT A LOT OF TRUST OR UNDERSTANDING ABOUT, UM, WHY THINGS COST A CERTAIN WAY, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY COST A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT'S VERY EXPENSIVE AND YET THEY CAN'T SEEM TO GET THE BANDWIDTH THEY EXPECTED TO GET. 
          SO THERE'S A LOT OF TRUST AT DIFFERENT LEVELS IN ADDITION TO THE TOOLS THEMSELVES AND THE LANGUAGE THAT MIGHT BE USED, OR THE WAY SOMETHING IS PRESENTED IS NOT MEETING PEOPLE WHERE THEY'RE AT. 
          [00:35:01]
AND SO, UM, THERE'S JUST A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD TRUST, BOTH FOR PEOPLE TO ADOPT TOOLS AND TO HELP BUILD COMMUNICATION FOR DIGITAL LITERACY. 
          SO THEN WE WANTED TO, UM, AS, AS PAULA MENTIONED, WE ALSO HAD CONVERSATIONS, UM, WITH FOLKS, UM, SPOKE DARI AND FOLKS WHO SPOKE SPANISH. 
          AND SO THESE CONVERSATIONS, UM, WERE, WERE REALLY GREAT AND THEY DUG INTO A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THEMES, SOMETIMES A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER CONVERSATIONS. 
          SO WE HEARD A LOT ABOUT, UM, LIKE FOR INSTANCE, THAT THERE WERE GAPS, LIKE THE COMPOUNDING EFFECT OF, UM, EQUITY REALLY CAN AFFECT DIGITAL EQUITY. 
          WHEN, FOR INSTANCE, FOLKS WHO MAY BE COMING FROM A PLACE, THEY ALREADY LACKED A LOT OF, UM, ACCESS TO EDUCATION. 
          UM, FOR INSTANCE, WOMEN, UM, IN AFGHANISTAN, NOT HAVING AS MUCH ACCESS TO EDUCATION COMING TO THE UNITED STATES, THEN THERE'S THIS PANDEMIC. 
          AND WHEN THEY WERE ALREADY GETTING, UM, SOME TRAINING AND ESL OR, AND OTHER THINGS THAT BEING TAKEN AWAY DURING THE PANDEMIC, BECAUSE HE NO LONGER ACCESS IT IN PERSON. 
          AND SO THEN THE NOT BEING AVAILABLE DIGITALLY EITHER. 
          SO THAT'S JUST CONTINUING TO COMPOUND THE INEQUITIES, UM, OF FOLKS EXPERIENCES. 
          UM, AND THERE WAS ALSO A CONVERSATION ABOUT KIND OF TRYING TO FIND A BALANCE BETWEEN, UM, THE THINGS THAT THE INTERNET CAN BRING TO, UM, TO IMPROVE LIVES AND IMPROVE ACCESS. 
          UM, BUT ALSO THE CHALLENGE OF NAVIGATING THE AMOUNT OF ACCESS THAT CAN ALSO, UM, BRING CHALLENGES OR WANT TRUST AND ISSUES RELATED TO THAT. 
          UM, OR THINGS THAT, UM, FOLKS DO NOT WANT TO KIND OF CONTROL OR, UM, SUBSUME OTHER PARTS OF LIFE, UM, BECAUSE THOSE TOOLS CAN, CAN, UM, BRING CHALLENGES AS WELL. 
          THEN THERE WERE ALSO, UM, LANGUAGE CHALLENGES ON THE INTERNET. 
          SO LOTS OF THINGS ARE NOT IN FOLKS, UM, LANGUAGES THAT THEY SPEAK OR, OR THAT THEY, UM, READ AND WRITE. 
          AND SO THAT IS A CHALLENGE, UM, IN GENERAL, ACROSS THE BOARD THAT WE HEARD A LOT ABOUT, UM, NOT ONLY IS IT A CHALLENGE IN THAT LANGUAGE, BUT ALSO IN THE TRANSLATION FOR SOME OF THE TECHNICAL LANGUAGE AS WELL, SO THAT CAN HELP COMPOUND THAT DIGITAL LITERACY CHALLENGE. 
          SO ALL THAT ACTUALLY TURNED INTO THIS ABOUT TO TALK ABOUT LIVED EXPERIENCE AND STORYTELLING. 
          YEAH. 
          SO, UM, THROUGHOUT THE FOCUS GROUP, WE KIND OF HOLD JUST A FEW KEY QUOTES, UM, THAT STOOD OUT AND WE ONLY PULLED THREE. 
          THERE'S DEFINITELY LOTS MORE THAT WE COULD HAVE PULLED FROM, BUT IN THE REPORT, WE, WE PUT ONE MORE PARTICIPANT ON JUST WHEN WE'RE HAVING THE CONVERSATION, THIS REFERS TO THE SPEED AT WHICH TECHNOLOGY CHANGES. 
          SO THIS PARTICIPANTS SAID THAT HAVING LIBRARIES ARE GREAT, BUT IF I HAVE TO READ EVERY TEXTBOOK ON THIS FROM THE LAW LIBRARY TO GET THIS, I WON'T, I WON'T BE THERE MEANING THAT BECAUSE OF HOW QUICKLY TECHNOLOGY CHANGES. 
          LIKE YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH IT. 
          AND THAT'S ANOTHER CHALLENGE, UM, IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO LEARN, UM, AND, AND KEEP UP WITH TECHNOLOGY THAT FOLKS ARE FACING. 
          WE ALSO HAVE A PARTICIPANT THAT SAID, I THINK WE HAVE A DIGITAL CAST SYSTEM EATING SOME PEOPLE WHERE THE HAVE SOME RESOURCES AND SOME PEOPLE ARE UNWORTHY OF OTHER RESOURCES. 
          IT'S NOT LIKE WE HAVE THE MONEY OR TECHNOLOGY FOR EVERYONE TO HAVE ACCESS. 
          AND SO THIS IS ALSO JUST AROUND THE INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUES, UM, AND JUST REALLY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THEY'RE, EVEN AS THIS DIGITAL DIVIDE, WHEN IT, WHEN WE LIKELY HAVE ALL THE RESOURCES AND TECHNOLOGY TO FIX THAT. 
          LASTLY, WE HAVE ANOTHER QUOTE FROM A PARTICIPANT THAT SAID, IF I NEED 150 TABS OPEN, JUST TO ACTIVELY LEARN SOMETHING, I CAN IMAGINE WHAT YOU WOULD NEED TO DO IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN ACCESS. 
          AND THIS WAS FROM A PARTICIPANT WHO IS PRETTY TECH SAVVY, AND HE'S ALWAYS CONTINUALLY TRYING TO LEARN NEW THINGS. 
          AND SO HE KNOWS THAT FOR, IT TAKES SO MANY TABS THAT HAVE OPEN TO TRY TO LEARN FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES. 
          AND SO, UM, IF IT'S THAT COMPLEX FOR HIM, FOR SOMEONE WHO IS PRETTY TECH SAVVY, UM, THAT IS PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, TWOFOLD, THREEFOLD, UM, MORE COMPLEX FOR SOMEONE WHO ISN'T, UM, AT THAT LEVEL. 
          AND SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE QUOTES THAT WE, UM, WERE ABLE TO PULL OUT FROM THE EXPERIENCES THAT FOLKS WERE SHARING SO MUCH. 
          YEAH. 
          DO YOU WANT TO MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE? I THINK SOMETHING THAT PAULA POINTED OUT WITH ALL OF THOSE QUOTES IS THEY CAN ALSO DEEP LEADING THEY'RE SO TIED TO TRUST AND HOW WE CAN BUILD RELATIONSHIPS AND UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THINGS. 
          BUT I THINK THAT INTERGENERATIONAL ASPECT OF THE COMMUNITY ASPECT ABOUT BUILDING DIGITAL ACCESS IS REALLY, REALLY VITAL AND KIND OF COMES ACROSS AS ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES AND REFLECTIONS THAT WE HAVE, UM, IN THIS REPORT AND KIND OF THE FIRST ONE THAT WE, WE REALLY THINK ABOUT IS KIND OF BUILDING THAT TRUSTED RELATIONSHIP. 
          AND, AND SO ARE THERE STRATEGIES AND, UH, OR MODELS FROM OTHER TYPES OF COMMUNITY-BASED INITIATIVES, LIKE MAYBE AROUND, UM, VACCINE DISTRIBUTION, STAGE DISTRIBUTION? HOW CAN WE THINK ABOUT, UM, WHO THE FOLKS ARE ON THE FRONTLINE WHO ARE PROVIDING SERVICES, UM, AND CAN INFLUENCE DIGITAL ACCESS AND ADOPTION AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WERE ALREADY HAVE RELATIONSHIPS. 
          SO, UM, HOW ARE INSTITUTIONS THAT ALREADY HAVE TRUST LIKE CHURCHES IN SCHOOLS? HOW CAN THEY BECOME, UM, KEY PARTNERS AND RESOURCES AND BUILDING ACCESS 
          [00:40:01]
POINTS, UM, AND KNOWLEDGE HUBS FOR THE COMMUNITY AROUND DIGITAL ACCESS AND DIGITAL INCLUSION. 
          AND SO ALSO THINKING ABOUT HOW CAN INSTITUTIONS THAT, UM, ARE ADAPTING THEMSELVES LIKE BANKS, UM, HOW CAN THEY, UM, AS THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT SHIFTING THEIR DIGITAL SERVICE DELIVERY, UM, WHICH ARE VITAL FOR EVERYDAY WORK, WHICH, UM, IT CAN BE HOUSING, IT CAN BE MEDICAL, IT CAN BE EDUCATION. 
          HOW CAN WE PARTNER WITH THEM MORE INTEREST TRUST, BUILDING WORK TO MAKE THEIR TECHNOLOGY MORE ACCESSIBLE, MORE TRUSTWORTHY, UM, AND IN A WAY THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO FEEL LIKE THEY CAN TRUST IT AND ARE MORE LIKELY TO ADOPT IT. 
          SO HOW CAN WE PARTNER WITH THOSE INSTITUTIONS THEY'RE MAKING THAT PIVOT THEMSELVES, UM, TO MAKE THEIR TOOLS MORE ACCESSIBLE AND COMMUNITY DRIVEN IN THE, IN THE PRODUCTION OF THOSE TOOLS. 
          AND THEN HOW CAN THE CITY OF AUSTIN WORK WITH THE SERVICE PROVIDERS, UM, AROUND THAT CONSUMER SELECTION PROCESS? SO FOLKS DESCRIBED CHALLENGES AROUND TRUST AND UNDERSTANDING OF, UM, THEIR OPTIONS FOR INTERNET ACCESS AND BROADBAND. 
          SO HOW CAN WE HELP BUILD A MORE TRANSPARENT PROCESS? THAT'S, USER-FRIENDLY MEETING PEOPLE WHERE THEY'RE AT ON THE DIGITAL LITERACY FRONT, AS FAR AS BUILDING OUT OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE TO SELECT WHAT'S BEST FOR THEM. 
          AND THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE THERE TO IDENTIFY AND INVEST IN COMMUNITY-BASED GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE LEADERS WHO CAN, UM, SERVE AS KIND OF INTERNAL ADVOCATES FOR DIGITAL EQUITY IN THEIR PEER GROUPS. 
          SO, UM, GROUPS OF ELDERS WHO ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT SPREADING THE WORD AROUND, UM, DIGITAL EQUITY OR DISPELLING MYTHS AND FEARS AROUND THE INTERNET, AND, UM, HOW CAN NON TOOLS LIKE, UM, FLYERS AND PAPER MAIL-OUTS AND RADIO, HOW CAN THOSE TOOLS AND COMMUNICATION TOOLS BE USED AND LEVERAGED MORE TO SUPPORT PEOPLE IN THE, THIS BIG PIVOT WE'RE MAKING A SOCIETY, AS WE HEARD OVER AND OVER AGAIN, PEOPLE WERE SAYING, HOW CAN WE USE SOMETHING ELSE? IF YOU DON'T ALREADY HAVE ACCESS, HOW DO YOU EVEN GET ACCESS? HOW DO YOU KNOW HOW TO BUILD THESE SKILLS AND HOW DO YOU EVEN FIND THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE? SO ANOTHER KEY THING THAT, UH, HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP A FEW TIMES ALREADY IS THE WINTER STORM URI. 
          UM, THAT WAS A BIG HIGHLIGHT IN THE CONVERSATIONS WE HAD AND REALLY HELPED, UM, FURTHER SHOW HOW DIGITAL EQUITY IS SO VITAL TO PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO ACCESS THE RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE DURING A CRISIS, AND BEING ABLE TO PREPARE FOR CRISIS THEMSELVES. 
          SO HOW CAN WE LEVERAGE THAT SHARED EXPERIENCE THAT WE HAVE IN OUR COLLECTIVE MEMORY AS A COMMUNITY? HOW CAN WE LEVERAGE THAT TO ADVOCATE MORE AND TO PUSH FOR MORE, UM, INSTITUTIONAL INDIVIDUAL AND COMMUNITY-BASED CHANGE AROUND DIGITAL EQUITY. 
          AND THEN, UM, FINALLY, HOW CAN ADDITIONAL RESOURCES BE ADDED TO MAKE BOTH WIFI AND CELL COVERAGE MORE ACCESSIBLE? SO BOTH OF THOSE IN TANDEM, BECAUSE WE'VE HEARD FOLKS TALKING ABOUT DIFFERENT STRATEGIES, THEY USED TO HAVE INTERNET ACCESS AT DIFFERENT TIMES IN THEIR DAY, WHETHER THEY'RE AT WORK OR WHETHER THEY'RE AT HOME OR DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, BECAUSE THEY MOVE AROUND SOMETIMES CELL SOMETIMES WIFI, HOW CAN WE IMPROVE BOTH USE THEM STRATEGICALLY. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THIS TAKES US TO OUR CONCLUSION. 
          SO WE HOPE THAT THE SUMMARY OF THIS, UM, IN ADDITION TO ALL OF, UM, THE SUMMARY FROM THE INSIGHTS OF THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT WE JUST SHARED, IN ADDITION TO PREVIOUS STUDIES THAT WERE DONE CAN REALLY BUILD A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR IMPROVING SOLUTIONS AND REALLY ELIMINATING, UM, DIGITAL INEQUITY. 
          UM, SO SOME OF THE SOLUTIONS THAT, UM, THE PHILIP THAT, THAT ARE GOING TO BE DEVELOPED OR OUTCOME FROM THIS, UM, SHOULD INCORPORATE A TARGETED APPROACH FOR DISRUPTING ONE OR MORE OF THE SYSTEMIC ISSUES THAT ARE THE ROOT CAUSES SUCH AS, UM, EDUCATION, UM, INEQUITIES AND HOUSING INEQUITIES, AND REALLY INCORPORATING THAT INTO THE SOLUTIONS. 
          AND SO WE LIKE TO ASK, LIKE, IF, WHEN A SOLUTION IS DEVELOPED, HOW IS THIS ADDRESSING, UM, SYSTEMIC OR HISTORICAL INEQUITIES? HOW IS THIS ADDRESSING, UM, UH, RACISM, A FEW OF THE PARTICIPANTS THEY TALK ABOUT, UM, IN TERMS OF ONE OF THE, THE SYSTEMIC ISSUES IN TERMS OF EDUCATION THAT BEING ABLE TO LEARN ABOUT COMPUTER SKILLS FROM PRIMARY EDUCATION JUST REALLY GAVE THEM A GOOD FOUNDATION FOR THEIR DIGITAL PROFICIENCY AND REALLY IS SOMETHING THAT HELPED THEM IN THIS DIGITAL AGE. 
          SO HOW CAN WE KIND OF INCORPORATE THAT INTO THE EDUCATION SYSTEM THAT WE KNOW, UM, HAS A LOT OF SYSTEMIC INEQUITIES. 
          WE ALSO SUGGEST THAT, UM, DIGITAL LITERACY PROGRAMS BE DESIGNED TO SUPPORT VARIOUS DEMOGRAPHIC NEEDS. 
          WE HEARD ABOUT A LOT OF AGE SPECIFIC NEEDS, CULTURAL DIFFERENCES, LANGUAGES, AND LEARNING STYLES THAT FOLKS HAVE, AND TRYING TO REALLY BUILD PROGRAMS IN TERMS OF DIGITAL LITERACY THAT CAN SUPPORT ALL OF THAT. 
          THERE ARE ALSO EXISTING PROGRAMS AND PLATFORMS LIKE THE CITIES. 
          UM, I THINK THERE'S A YOUTUBE CHANNEL, LOCAL RADIO 
          [00:45:01]
STATIONS THAT COULD BE USED IN COMBINATION, UM, TO HELP IMPROVE THAT PROVIDING SERVICES IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES FOR FOLKS. 
          UM, SO REALLY USING A LOT OF THE EXISTING PROGRAMS. AND THEN LASTLY, WE TALK ABOUT THE NEED FOR A HUMAN CENTERED APPROACH OR DESIGN. 
          UM, SEVERAL EXAMPLES CAME UP AND ONE THAT WAS PRETTY PROMINENT WAS THE SCHOOL SYSTEM DEPLOYING, UM, SCHOOL BUSES, F WIFI HOTSPOTS. 
          AND SO WHEN THAT HAPPENED, THAT MANY CHILDREN HAD TO SIT OUTSIDE, UM, IN VARIOUS WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR HOURS TO ACCESS THEIR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS ONLINE AND COMPLETE ASSIGNMENTS. 
          AND SO WHEN WE TAKE A HUMAN CENTERED APPROACH SO THAT WE CAN TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE FULL USER EXPERIENCES OF THE SOLUTION TO DEVELOP, AND PROBABLY THINK ABOUT WAYS THAT WE CAN MAKE THAT EXPERIENCE BETTER FOR EVERYONE. 
          WE ALSO DID HEAR TOO, IN SOME OF THE FOCUS GROUPS ABOUT JUST HOW COLD TECHNOLOGY CAN BE AND HOW IT REALLY JUST TAKES OUT THAT HUMAN INTERACTION THAT'S STILL VERY MUCH NEEDED. 
          AND WE SEE THAT EVEN AS WE'VE TRANSITIONED TO THE ZOOM PLATFORMS AND ONLINE VIRTUAL PLATFORMS, AND REALLY CAN NEVER REPLACE THAT HUMAN INTERACTION. 
          UM, AND SO THERE WAS A NEED FOR THAT. 
          UM, SO THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE PROCESS, WE'VE LEARNED TO JUST WITH THE RECRUITMENT THAT, UM, WE FOUND THAT A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY LIAISONS AND WORD OF MOUTH WERE SOME OF THE BEST WAYS TO REACH PEOPLE. 
          ANOTHER THING THAT WE IDENTIFIED TO THAT AT THE TIME THERE REALLY WASN'T THIS LIKE ONE-STOP SHOP TO FIND TECHNOLOGICAL HELP. 
          I KNOW THERE'S WEBSITES THAT HAVE LISTED RESOURCES, BUT AGAIN, IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE WEBSITE, THE ORGANIZATION EXISTS, YOU WON'T KNOW TO GO TO THEIR WEBSITE TO FIND THAT. 
          UM, AND SO AS PART OF THIS STUDY, WE DEVELOPED A RESOURCE GUIDE TO CONNECT PARTICIPANTS WITH SERVICES AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT, AND AT LEAST GET THEM STARTED. 
          IT'S A QUICK STARTER GUIDE TO JUST REALLY GETTING HELP WITH TECHNOLOGY IN AUSTIN. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID IN OUR FOCUS GROUPS, UM, WAS AT THE END, REALLY JUST ASK PARTICIPANTS WHAT THEY NEEDED. 
          SO WE, AGAIN, BEING VERY ACTIONABLE ON DATA AND NOT NEEDING TO WAIT FOR A REPORT TO COME OUT, TO BE ABLE TO TAKE ACTION. 
          WE ASKED THEM WHAT THEY NEEDED IN THAT MOMENT, AND SOME OF THE THINGS WERE TECH RESOURCES. 
          UM, AND SO WE PROVIDED THIS RESOURCE GUIDE FOR OUR PARTICIPANTS. 
          AND SO, UM, THIS TAKES US TO THE END. 
          WE ARE INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL AND HONORED TO HAVE LED THIS PORTION OF THE STUDY GATHERING WITH EXPERIENCES OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS AROUND ACCESSING THE INTERNET AND TECHNOLOGY. 
          UM, WE JUST GOT EVEN VALUABLE FEEDBACK ABOUT, UM, FROM PARTICIPANTS ABOUT HOW HELPFUL THEY FOUND THESE SESSIONS AND HOW, UM, EXCITED THAT THEY WERE, THAT THINGS LIKE THIS WERE HAPPENING IN AUSTIN, TOO. 
          I THINK OFTENTIMES, UM, RESEARCHERS, I COME FROM AN ACADEMIC BACKGROUND, WE CAN REALLY FOCUS ON JUST GATHERING THE DATA AND WHAT WE'RE GETTING OUT OF IT, BUT THIS WAS REALLY INCREDIBLE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A SPACE FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO JUST SHARE, CONNECT, AND FIND HEALING AND TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY'VE EXPERIENCED. 
          SO, UM, THANK YOU ALL FOR ALLOWING US TO DO THIS. 
          CAN I SAY SOMETHING TO YOUR OLYMPICS, ALL THAT TOO, BEFORE YOU, UM, BEFORE WE END OUT, UM, AND IT JUST REALLY BUBBLES TO THE TOP FOR ME, FIRST OF ALL, I'M, I'M ALWAYS INCREDIBLY LIKE EX LIKE JUST HUMBLED TO SEE, UM, THE WORK PROGRESS LIKE THIS. 
          AND, BUT I, I DO WANT TO JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE REMEMBER THAT DESPITE DECADES OF US IN AUSTIN WORKING TO ADDRESS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE OR, UM, WHICH HONESTLY, YOU KNOW, JUST STARTED TO KIND OF BE HIGHLIGHTED AROUND IN THE NINETIES. 
          RIGHT. 
          BUT WE KNOW THAT IT'S EVEN BEFORE THEN THAT, UM, THE LACK OF ACCESS HAS BEEN REALLY IN FRONT OF US. 
          WE, WE'VE ALWAYS KNOWN OF THIS LACK OF ACCESS. 
          AND FOR SOME REASON IT JUST KEEPS WIDENING THAT GAP KEEPS KEEPS WIDENING. 
          AND SO WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THOSE OF US, AND I ALWAYS SAY THIS, THAT THOSE OF US THAT HAVE ACCESS TO, TO DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY OR WELCOMING TECHNOLOGY INTO OUR CITY, OR, YOU KNOW, IN THE PRIVILEGE, HONESTLY, OF, UM, CREATING TECHNOLOGY THAT WE ALSO HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO DO JUSTICE. 
          AND SO THAT MEANS ADDRESSING THE NEED RIGHT NOW AND MOVING FAST IN ORDER TO DO SO IF YOU KNOW THAT THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, FOLKS THAT LITERALLY HAVE NO ACCESS, UM, ESPECIALLY FOLKS THAT ARE IN VULNERABLE POPULATIONS POSSIBLY, YOU KNOW, UM, AND, AND NEIGHBORHOODS THAT JUST, IT'S JUST REALLY HARD AT ALL TO EVEN ENGAGE IN THESE CONVERSATIONS. 
          [00:50:01]
THEN LET'S, LET'S, LET'S HIGHLIGHT THE, UM, THE INCREDIBLE NONPROFITS THAT ARE OUT THERE TRYING TO FILL THAT GAP. 
          LET'S LOOK AT THE BLACK BRILLIANCE PROJECT AND THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING TO ADDRESS, YOU KNOW, THE DIGITAL DIVIDE. 
          UM, LET'S, LET'S LEAN IN, UM, WHEN, WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO, TO REALLY DO THE WORK AGAIN, IT, YOU KNOW, ANYTIME WE GET INCREDIBLE PROJECTS LIKE THIS, I'M JUST SO I'M SO EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO DO THEM, BUT I ALWAYS, I CAN'T, IT'S HARD FOR ME NOT TO STEP AWAY AND REMEMBER AN ASSESSMENT, RIGHT. 
          WHO IN THE NINETIES, THE EIGHTIES WHO REALLY DID THE WORK RIGHT. 
          AND HOW HER WORK IS STILL BEING CARRIED ON RIGHT NOW AND JUST HONORING, UM, THOSE VOICES BLACK WOMAN. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, AND SO, UM, JORGE GONZALEZ, LIKE THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT WE STAND ON THE SHOULDERS TO CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR JUSTICE. 
          AND SO I I'M JUST REALLY, UM, YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT BECAUSE IT, IT COULD, IT'S ONLY GETTING WORSE, UM, THAT GAP AND WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT PRESENTATION AND FOR YOUR HARD WORK. 
          UH, I KNOW THAT I'VE GOT A FEW QUESTIONS, ALTHOUGH WE ARE EXTREMELY PRESSED FOR TIME. 
          UH, AND I IMAGINE MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS ALSO HAVE QUESTIONS. 
          UH, THE FIRST QUESTION I HAVE TO ASK IS, CAN WE PLEASE HAVE YOU JOIN US IN ONE OF OUR WORKING GROUP SESSIONS TO PERHAPS HAVE A LIVE LOOK AT SOME OF THESE DATA POINTS AND THE STUDY ITSELF, AND, UH, TO HAVE A INTERCHANGE, UH, CANDIDLY OFF THE RECORD WE NORMALLY MEET, UH, THREE TIMES PER MONTH, AND THERE'LL BE TWO OPPORTUNITIES HERE IN THE APPROACHING WEEKS. 
          WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU THERE, IF WE CAN GET THAT, UH, THAT PARTICIPATION WE'D REALLY LOVE TO HAVE YOU THERE. 
          THAT'S MY FIRST QUESTION. 
          I GUESS THAT'S A QUESTION FOR, FOR A MIMI REDA AND FOR PAULETTE RITA AND PULL THAT DR. 
          TAYLOR. 
          YES, WE'D BE HAPPY TO JOIN. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU NOTICE HOW I GOT THAT ON THE RECORD? RIGHT. 
          AWESOME. 
          UH, MY NEXT QUESTION, UH, REALLY IS PERTAINING TO, UH, THE TIMELINE, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED HERE IN THIS COMMISSION, PARTICULARLY WITH THE FOCUS ON FUNDING, UH, AT, AT SO MANY LEVELS AROUND TECHNOLOGY AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR THIS COMMUNITY, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE ROLE THAT A MASSIVE FUNDING PUSH CALLED NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND PLAYED, AND FRANKLY NOT PREPARING FOR WHAT WE NEEDED DURING THE PANDEMIC. 
          SO EVIDENTLY TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE REMOTE LEARNING, PROJECT-BASED LEARNING, UH, REALLY THE ONSET OF DIGITAL MEDIA OCCURRED WITH THIS BIG PUSH OF FUNDING. 
          AND SO I'M REALLY TO LEARN WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE ON THE ROLE OF NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND IN THIS TIMELINE. 
          AND IF THERE'S NO THOUGHTS TODAY, PERHAPS IF WE COULD GET SOME FOLLOW ON THAT FROM A DATA POINT STANDPOINT, BECAUSE I'VE GOT DEEP CONCERNS ABOUT THE MISMANAGEMENT OF FUNDING TODAY WITH THE LESSONS OF NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND IN MIND. 
          ANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT OR FEEDBACK? YEAH, MY INITIAL THOUGHTS IS DEFINITELY, THIS IS SOMETHING TOO TO DIVE A BIT MORE INTO, AS WE KNOW, LIKE EDUCATION ONE IN TERMS OF LIKE BEING ABLE TO, TO HAVE DIGITAL LITERACY, LIKE HAVING A GOOD EDUCATION AS A FOUNDATION OF THAT. 
          AND SO IN ANY PIECE OF EDUCATION IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD, SHOULD FOR SURE BE CONSIDERED. 
          AND THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM THAT ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN USE TO IMPROVE, UM, AS WE'RE BUILDING OUT SOLUTIONS AND THINKING ABOUT HOW THESE SOLUTIONS SHOULD NOT JUST BE FILLING IN THE GAPS, BUT ACTUALLY ADDRESSING THE ROOT INEQUITIES AND THE ROOT CAUSES. 
          AWESOME. 
          THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          YEAH. 
          AND WE KNOW THAT THERE'S SEVERAL POLICIES, INCLUDING NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND, ET CETERA, THAT HAVE PERPETUATED THAT THIS GAP. 
          UM, I KNOW THAT, UM, OUR TEAM IS INTERESTED IN CONTINUING TO KIND OF DEEP DIVE INTO THE HISTORY SO THAT WE CAN KIND OF PROVIDE SOME OF THOSE UPDATES. 
          SO WE'D BE HAPPY TO 
          [00:55:01]
COME BACK TO SHARE. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I THINK THERE'S SOME GREAT POTENTIAL LEARNING ABOUT THE DATA THERE. 
          UH, SO MANY QUESTIONS I CAN IMAGINE THAT MY COLLEAGUES ALSO WOULD HAVE, AND YET WE'RE SO PRESSED FOR TIME. 
          UM, I'D LIKE TO GIVE ONE OPPORTUNITY FOR A BRIEF QUESTION IF I COULD, AND I SEE ONE HAND, UH, SO I'LL GO AHEAD AND GIVE COMMISSIONER, DASGUPTA AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASK A QUESTION. 
          UH, YOU'RE ON MUTE RIGHT NOW, COMMISSIONER DASGUPTA OKAY. 
          I FIRST WANT TO, UH, UH, REPEAT THE INVITATION TO OUR TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE AND INNOVATION WORKING GROUP FOR A DEEP DIVE. 
          UH, I JUST WANT TO PREFACE MY QUESTION IS I, THE TWO PROJECTS I WORKED ON OUTSIDE OF THIS COMMISSION, ONE IS SUPPORTING THE CENSUS FROM MIDDLE OF 2019 TO 2020 AND SUPPORTING US IN PUBLIC HEALTH, IN PROPAGATING ACCESS TO THE VACCINE AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU SAID RESONATED WITH ME. 
          SO MY QUESTION IS, ARE YOU ALIGNING YOUR FINDINGS TO THE FINDINGS OF THE CENSUS? AND THE REASON I SAY IS BECAUSE WE, I SUPPORTED THE ASIAN COMPLETE COUNT COMMITTEE AND WE DID VERY WELL 12 THE CITY ROUTE TRAVIS COUNTY, WILLIAMSON COUNTY, EXCEPT IN THE AREA AROUND. 
          AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF OTHER POCKETS AS WELL, BUT THE PRIMARY AREAS WHERE WE FAILED MISERABLY WAS UP AND DOWN LA THAT'S WHERE ALL THE UNDOCUMENTED HAVE COME. 
          THAT'S WHERE ALL THE NEW IMMIGRANTS HAVE COME. 
          THAT'S WHERE ALL THE NEW REFUGEES HAVE COME. 
          AND THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO HARDWARE, DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE TRAINING. 
          AND IN FACT, AI HAS TO SHUT DOWN EARLY BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH EQUIPMENT TO EMPOWER THE TEACHERS TO IMPART EDUCATION TO THE STUDENTS. 
          AND EVEN WHEN THEY GOT THE HARDWARE TRAINING CAME IN LATE, AND THESE STUDENTS ARE ACTUALLY MONTHS BEHIND THE REST OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, JUST WITHIN THE ISD. 
          SO IS YOUR QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE DATA ALIGNING WITH THE FINDINGS OF THE CENSUS SO THAT WE CAN COME UP WITH TARGETED SOLUTIONS? I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE DEFINITELY CAN LOOK AT BECAUSE WE DID GRAB THAT DEMOGRAPHIC DATA IN TERMS OF ZIP CODE. 
          AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TRY TO MATCH UP WITH SOME OF THOSE RESPONSES, BUT THAT'S MORE OF A DEEPER DIVE, BUT, UM, ABSOLUTELY SOMETHING THAT IT WOULD BE WORTHWHILE TO DO IS TO REALLY, UM, PARTICULARLY IF YOU'RE BEING EQUITABLE TO, TO REALLY LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT AREAS AND NOT JUST AGGREGATING THINGS, BUT REALLY DIVING INTO THE DIFFERENT, UM, NEEDS OF EACH COMMUNITIES AND AREAS. 
          AND WE DEFINITELY HAVE HEARD THAT IN THE CONVERSATIONS THAT HAPPENED, UM, ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES IN WHERE YOU LIVE AND WHAT KIND OF SERVICES YOU HAVE AND THINGS THAT YOU HAVE ACCESS TO, UM, NITA, WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD ANYTHING TO THAT? YEAH, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT POINT. 
          AND I THINK ANOTHER THING THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO DID COME UP IN ONE OF THE GROUPS IS HOW, UM, UH, NOT HAVING DIGITAL ACCESS IN ADDITION TO NOT BEING ABLE TO ACCESS MEDICAL CARE OR EDUCATION OR, UM, KNOWLEDGE LIKE INSIGHTS ABOUT IMPENDING CRISES. 
          UH, THERE'S ALSO LACK OF ACCESS TO BEING ABLE TO BE REPRESENTED IN, UM, POLITICAL, UM, COMMUNICATIONS OR CONVERSATIONS. 
          AND, UM, BEING ABLE TO HAVE A SAY ON THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY AS WE'RE MAKING A GREATER PIVOT TOWARDS PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO SHARE THEIR PERSPECTIVE DIGITALLY, UM, MORE. 
          AND SO WE DEFINITELY HEARD THAT AND I THINK THAT'S ALIGNED TO AS, AS WELL WITH WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. 
          THANK YOU FOR, FOR THAT RESPONSE. 
          UM, ALL OF THOSE RESPONSES, UH, WELL, AGAIN, I KNOW WE COULD REALLY GO INTO THIS FURTHER AND, UH, THERE'S SO MUCH, UH, THIS IS GREAT, UH, GREAT PRESENTATION AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE DEEPER DIVE THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE IN OUR WORKING GROUPS. 
          UH, SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR JOINING US TODAY. 
          UH, MIMI PAULETTE, AND READ OUT, THANK YOU SO MUCH, DR. 
          TAYLOR. 
          WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          MOVING ALONG IN OUR AGENDA 
          [2B. Update from Communications and Technology Management Department (Chris Stewart, Chief Information Officer)]
NOW TO THE ITEM, TO BE AN UPDATE FROM THE COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT, CHRIS STEWART, OUR CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER. 
          HELLO, CHRIS. 
          HELLO. 
          GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. 
          I HAVE THE ABILITY TO SHARE MY SCREEN, PLEASE. 
          OKAY, HERE WE GO. 
          [01:00:18]
WE GET THE RIGHT ONE UP HERE. 
          ALL RIGHT, EVERYBODY SEE THE 20, 21 ANNUAL REPORT. 
          YES. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO CHRIS JORDAN, THE CIO FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME PRESENT TO YOU. 
          NORMALLY, WHAT I WOULD DO IS HAVE A QUICK PRESENTATION AND TO KIND OF TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING. 
          I WANT TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY THOUGH. 
          WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT HERE IS ACTUALLY OUR OPEN DATA PORTAL. 
          UM, SOCRATA IS THE, UM, THE PRODUCT THERE AND ROSS GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOCRATA LATER ON. 
          SO THAT'D BE A, A FUN EXPERIENCE TO, TO SHOW KIND OF A PRODUCT THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING. 
          UM, AND A THING WE DO INTERNALLY IS EVERY YEAR, UM, CTM HAS NOT DONE THIS FOR A WHILE, BUT WE ACTUALLY HAVE THIS ANNUAL REPORT THAT WE PUBLISH AND WE SEND TO CITY LEADERS. 
          SO THE CITY IS AWARE OF IT, BUT IT'S ALSO AVAILABLE FOR, FOR OUR ENTITY. 
          SO I DID WANT TO QUICKLY GO THROUGH THIS AND TALK ABOUT OUR 20, 21 REPORT. 
          SO AGAIN, I'M CHRIS STEWART, UH, CF, THE CITY OF AUSTIN. 
          I STARTED OFFICIALLY IN APRIL OF LAST YEAR, UM, WAS INTERIM FROM SEPTEMBER YEAR BEFORE. 
          UH, PROBABLY THE BIGGEST THING THAT I'VE DONE SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE IS HARD. 
          MY EXECUTIVE TEAM, I HAVE THREE DEPUTY CEOS. 
          I HAVE CHARACTER LAKEY HERE. 
          UM, SHE BRINGS ABOUT 29 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE FROM AUSTIN ENERGY. 
          IT SHE'S FANTASTIC. 
          SHE'S OVER OUR ENTERPRISE APPLICATION, PROJECT SUPPORT. 
          THAT'S WHERE OUR BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP MANAGERS LIVE OUR PMO. 
          AND OF COURSE OUR ENTERPRISE APPLICATIONS, STEVE MARTIN ACTUALLY COMES TO US FROM THE STATE OF NEVADA. 
          UH, HE WAS A, UM, ASSIST. 
          HE WAS A DEPUTY CIO FOR THE CITY OF NEVADA. 
          HE WAS A STATE CIO FOR ONE OF THEIR STATE SYSTEMS AS WELL. 
          AND HE COMES TO US TO RUN OUR ENTERPRISE INFRASTRUCTURE TEAMS. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE HAVE SHARIF WASHINGTON, DEPUTY CIO OVER OUR PUBLIC SAFETY SUPPORT, I'M GROUPED. 
          SO HE DEPUTIES IN CHARGE OF ALL OF OUR PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES THAT WE SUPPORT TO INCLUDE CTECH BUILDING THE EOC HAYSOM AND OUR WIRELESS SHOP. 
          UM, ACTUALLY SHARIF GRADUATED THIS WEEK WITH HIS PHD. 
          SO WE HAVE TO CLIMB DR. 
          WASHINGTON FOR NOW ON IF YOU, IF YOU RUN INTO SHARIF, BUT THESE ARE MY THREE NEW DEPUTIES NOW FANTASTIC EXECUTIVE TEAM, UM, COULD NOT BE HAPPIER TO HAVE A TEAM IN PLACE, UM, PERMANENTLY, NO MORE ACTING ROLES. 
          CTM HAD A LITTLE HISTORY THERE OF SOME SIGNIFICANT ACTING ROLES. 
          I'M REALLY, REALLY HAPPY TO HAVE, HAVE A TEAM IN PLACE. 
          SO SOME OF THIS, I'M NOT GOING TO GO TOO MUCH INTO IT'S MORE FOR CITY, BUT YOU KNOW, ONE THING WE DO WANT TO DO IS TALK ABOUT, UM, WE WANTED TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THIS IS WHERE OUR FUNDING GOES. 
          SO WE, WE BREAK EVERYTHING UP INTO INFRASTRUCTURE WIRELESS, YOU KNOW, WHERE THINGS ARE GOING. 
          UH, AND BECAUSE IT'S, SOCRATA, IT'S, IT'S INTERACTIVE. 
          SO PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY COME HERE AND CLICK ON, HEY, WHEREAS WHERE'S THE MONEY GOING? SEE TIM GETS SIGNIFICANT DOLLARS FROM THE GENERAL FUND OR DOES IT GO? SO THIS IS OUT HERE ON OUR OPEN DATA PORTAL FOR EVERYONE TO SEE. 
          WE ALSO WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT OUR MAKEUP OF OUR SUBS OF OUR STAFF. 
          DIB IS A, IS A IMPORTANT, UM, INITIATIVE FOR US. 
          WE'RE REALLY LOOKING HARD AT HOW WE LOOK AND HOW WE'RE, HOW WE'RE DOING ON THIS FRONT. 
          SO WE LOOK AT AGE, WE'VE GOT THESE DEMOGRAPHICS HERE, GENDER AND DIVERSITY. 
          YOU CAN, ONE OF THE THINGS I NOTICED RIGHT AWAY IS GENDER HERE FOR CTM, VERY, VERY HEAVY, UM, ON THE MALE SIDE. 
          AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF LOOKING, WE'RE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, WHY, WHAT, WHAT THINGS CAN WE DO WHERE WE ARE? WE ARE HIRING PRACTICES, CORRECT? ARE WE HIRING FAIRLY SAME WITH DIVERSITY? HERE'S WHERE WE'RE DOING A LOT OF WORK ON MAKING SURE THAT HIRING RECRUITING IS DONE, UM, IN A FASHION TO, TO HELP MAKE US AS DIVERSE AS POSSIBLE. 
          CUSTOMER SERVICE OBVIOUSLY IS VERY CRITICAL TO AN IT ORGANIZATION. 
          SO WE DO LOOK AT OUR, UM, OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE METRICS. 
          LAST YEAR, WE HAD A 65.7% OF ABOVE AVERAGE OR EXCELLENT. 
          WE'RE ABOUT 92%, SORRY, ABOUT 95% SATISFACTORY OR ABOVE. 
          AND THAT'S IN LINE YEAR TO YEAR. 
          YOU CAN SEE WE'RE PRETTY CLOSE TO THOSE. 
          THE LOWER TO MID 90 RANGES. 
          SOME OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS WE LIKE TO BRAG ABOUT AND OUR ENTERPRISE APPLICATIONS TEAMS, 700 CITY ASSETS WITH MAXIMO, 15,000 TASKS, AUTOMATED TASK AUTOMATION IS CRITICAL FOR US. 
          WE NEED, WE'VE GOT TO AUTOMATE MORE AND MORE SO WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH MORE INNOVATIVE PROJECTS INSTEAD OF PUTTING OUT FIRES CONSTANTLY. 
          AMANDA'S A HUGE APPLICATION FOR US 205,000 CASES WITH AMANDA. 
          THAT'S 
          [01:05:01]
OUR LICENSING AND PERMITTING SYSTEM. 
          SO IT'S USED BY A LOT OF PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE CITY FOR DEVELOPMENT, UM, AND SUCH. 
          SO IT'S A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT APPLICATION FOR US. 
          LOTS OF PROJECTS, LOTS OF FORM DIGITALIZATION, UM, A LOT OF WORK GOING ON THIS TEAM AND IT'S DEFINITELY AN R J S TEAM. 
          I DIDN'T WANT TO FORGET TO MENTION JS ARE DOING FANTASTIC WORK. 
          SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID IN PARTICULAR, THE PART ASSET MANAGEMENT, UM, WAS IT WAS A BIG, BIG WIN FOR PAR TO GO, TO ALLOW THEM TO HAVE A ASSET MANAGEMENT MOBILE SOLUTION, OUR JS MODERNIZATION, WE'RE MOVING TO JS RJS PRO SO THAT WE CAN DO NEW DATA MODELS AND NETWORKS, UM, FOR OUR GIS. 
          AND WE HAVE WONDERFUL JS TEAMS AND WE SUPPORT THE CITY IN LOTS OF GREAT WAYS. 
          UH, WE DID HIGHLIGHT EMPLOYEE DEMOGRAPHICS, AGAIN, WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT, UM, ELECTRONIC TIMEKEEPING, THE BIG THING FOR THE CITY. 
          WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT ELECTRONIC TIMEKEEPING, UH, FOR A LONG TIME. 
          UH, COMMISSIONARY, H YOU PROBABLY REMEMBER THIS CONVERSATION WE'VE HAD FOR YEARS AND YEARS AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN. 
          UM, AND WE'RE FINALLY MAKING THAT HAPPEN AND THEN ANIMAL SERVICES, DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION. 
          SO WE REALLY HELPED OUT ANIMAL SERVICES DELIVER DIGITAL METHODS OF HELPING THEM, UM, FIND, UM, FOREVER HOMES FOR, FOR ALL OF THEIR WONDERFUL ANIMALS. 
          SO THAT WAS, UH, A LOT OF GREAT WORK WORKING WITH THEM AND OUR ENTERPRISE INFRASTRUCTURE TEAM. 
          WE'VE GOT ABOUT 15,000 EMPLOYEES BEING SERVICED BY OUR SERVICE TASK. 
          THEY DO ABOUT 600 SERVICE TICKETS A DAY, 60,000 ANNUALLY. 
          THAT'S 1000 PCS MAINTAINED BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN. 
          THIS IS OUR, UH, GATTON, THE, THE FIBER ACROSS THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND ABOUT FOUR 14,000, UH, DEVICES IN TOTAL. 
          LAST TIME I DID TALK TO YOU ABOUT OUR NEVER COMMODITIZATION, LOT OF WORK, TAKING ALL THOSE DEVICES ABOUT 1400 DEVICES, UPGRADING THEM TO MODERN TECHNOLOGY, UH, FACILITY CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. 
          THE CITY'S GROWING CITY STAFF ARE MOVING AROUND. 
          THEY'RE FINDING NEW FACILITIES ARE, UM, BUILDING SERVICES, DOING FACILITIES, STRATEGIC PLANS, A LOT OF WORK, MOVING PEOPLE AROUND. 
          WE MAKE SURE THAT, UM, ALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE'S IN PLACE, DATA CENTERS, THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          A LOT OF WORK GOES IN FROM CTM. 
          WHEN OUR FOLKS ARE MOVING AROUND, WE'VE DONE SOME, A PROOF POINT EOP MIGRATION. 
          SO WE'RE, WE'RE TAKING SOME OF OUR OLDER TECHNOLOGIES MOVING TO MORE MODERN PLATFORMS ARE WE'RE TAKING SOME OF OUR REDUNDANT TECHNOLOGIES AND CONSOLIDATING TO SAVE MONEY. 
          SO, UH, PROOF POINTS. 
          ONE OF THOSE, UH, SECURITY FEATURES THAT WE'RE ABLE TO MIGRATE INTO OUR MICROSOFT 365 TENANT, UM, WHICH WE ALREADY HAD ACCESS TO. 
          SO IT'S A REALLY GREAT, GREAT UTILIZATION OF OUR SECURITY TOOLS AND RESOURCES, UM, TECHNOLOGISTS POROUS, OUR SERVICE DESK, DOING FANTASTIC WORK, DELIVERING LAPTOPS TO PEOPLE FOR A WORK FROM HOME. 
          AND OF COURSE, JUST CORE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS. 
          WE NEVER STOP MAKING SURE THAT OUR CORE INFRASTRUCTURE IS SOLID AND MAKING SURE WE'RE ON WE'RE ON PROPER TECHNOLOGY. 
          UM, AND THAT WE ARE BEING AS CAUTIOUS AS POSSIBLE AND CONSCIOUS OF OUR, UM, OUR BUDGET AND OUR FUNDING PUBLIC SAFETY TEAM. 
          THEY DO FANTASTIC WORK. 
          KAT IS OUR COMPUTER-AIDED DISPATCH SYSTEM. 
          IT, IT RAN ABOUT 2.5 MILLION, UM, INCIDENTS LAST YEAR. 
          UH, THEY JUST DO TREMENDOUS WORK ON THOSE SO MUCH WORK THAT HAPPENS THROUGH OVER AT CTECH AND THROUGHOUT OUR PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES, LOTS OF, LOTS OF WORK. 
          YOU CAN SEE THE, THE SIZE OF THE IT THERE ALONE, JUST IN PUBLIC SAFETY, OVER 1400 SERVERS. 
          UM, IT TAKES TO SUPPORT OUR PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES IS PRETTY SIGNIFICANT AND THEY ARE, UH, IT'S 24 BY SEVEN SUPPORT. 
          VERY, VERY GREAT SUPPORT. 
          UH, WE FEEL FOR OUR, OUR PUBLIC SAFETY FOLKS, SOME ACHIEVEMENTS OUT THERE, DEFINITELY OUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE. 
          UM, WE'VE NEVER HAD IN OUR HEADS SOME TEAM, UM, FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S BEEN DOING GREAT WORK. 
          TYPICALLY THE EOC IS ACTIVATED FOR A, AN INCIDENT AT A TIME. 
          UH, BUT FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE TEND TO DOUBLE AND TRIPLE UP. 
          WE HAVE A COVID RESPONSE INCIDENT. 
          WE HAVE WEATHER INCIDENTS. 
          UH, WE HAVE WEATHER INCIDENTS ON TOP OF WEATHER INCIDENTS. 
          WE HAVE ALL SORTS OF THINGS GOING ON. 
          SO IT'S BEEN PRETTY, UM, IT'S BEEN HECTIC AND CHAOTIC, BUT MANAGEABLE. 
          UM, AND A LOT OF THAT EFFORT IS DUE TO A LOT OF TECHNOLOGY THAT WE, WE IMPLEMENT, UH, OUR RMS SYSTEM FOR, FOR OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT. 
          GETTING THAT IN PLACE, GATORS LIFECYCLE, YOU PROBABLY KNOW GATORS IS OUR, OUR SHARED, UM, RADIO NETWORK THAT STRETCHES ACROSS TEXAS. 
          IT'S AN AMAZING EFFORT. 
          WE'VE ALSO BEEN DOING A LOT OF UPGRADES TO THAT SYSTEM, UM, IN RESPONSE TO BAD WEATHER. 
          SO IN A LOT OF THESE TOWERS ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO ICE. 
          AND WHEN, WHEN POWER GOES OUT WIRELESS NETWORKS, DON'T LIKE TO HAVE NO POWER. 
          YOU KNOW, WE STILL NEED POWER. 
          SO WE'VE BEEN, UM, LOOKING AT GENERATORS AND IN WORKING WITH OUR BUILDING SERVICES TO BUILD IN GENERATORS, TO OUR VERY CRITICAL FACILITIES, LOT OF WORK 
          [01:10:01]
THERE, UM, K COLLABORATION, WE STILL HAVE PEOPLE COMING TO, UM, TO SEE TECH, TO, TO TAKE A LOOK AT HOW WE DO THINGS. 
          WE HAD A TEAM FROM BATON ROUGE, UM, FIREPLACE, CMS, AND TECHNOLOGY KIND OF LOOK AT HOW WE'RE DOING BEST PRACTICES. 
          SO IT'S REALLY, UH, IT'S AN HONOR TO HAVE PEOPLE COME IN AND KIND OF LOOK AT WHAT YOU'RE DOING SO THEY CAN TAKE IT BACK TO WHERE THEY'RE AT MORE POWER WORK AND OF COURSE, MORE GATORS, UM, COVERAGE AND RESTORATION. 
          WE NEVER STOPPED ENHANCING. 
          SO I WENT THROUGH THAT PRETTY QUICKLY, BUT I DID WANT TO SHOW YOU ALL, UM, TO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE, WE HAVE DONE THIS PAST YEAR AND SHOW OFF A LITTLE BIT, OUR, OUR SOCRATA WITH OUR OPEN DATA PORTAL, THAT'S AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE. 
          THERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT I DID WANT TO HIGHLIGHT AS WELL THAT WE'RE WORKING ON. 
          AND JUST SOME THINGS THAT ABOUT CTM WITH US COMING MORE, WHERE ARE REINTEGRATED WORKFORCE NOW? SO THE STUDY HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT REINTEGRATION AND WE SENT A LOT OF PEOPLE HOME FOR A YEAR OR MORE. 
          AND WE ARE HAPPY BY DEPARTMENT BY DEPARTMENT. 
          WE'RE BRINGING PEOPLE BACK, CTMS BEEN FULLY REINTEGRATED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW. 
          UM, BUT OUR RE-INTEGRATION IS, IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE IT DID WHEN WE LEFT, UM, TWO YEARS AGO IN MARCH. 
          SO OUR WORKFORCE NOW AT CTM IS ABOUT 60% FULLY REMOTE. 
          AND WE SAY FULLY REMOTE. 
          WE MEAN THAT THEY WORK REMOTELY FIVE DAYS A WEEK WITH AN EXPECTATION THAT THEY MAY HAVE TO COME IN TO WORK, TO FIX EQUIPMENT. 
          THEY MAY HAVE TO COME IN TO WORK, TO HAVE A TEAM MEETING, THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          BUT DAY TO DAY, THEY ARE FULLY REMOTE. 
          WE'VE GOT ABOUT 28% HYBRID. 
          THESE ARE FOLKS WHO HAVE CERTAIN DAYS WHERE THEY'RE IN THE OFFICE, CERTAIN DAYS THEY REMOTE WORK AND ABOUT 12% THAT NEED TO BE ONSITE TO SUPPORT OUR CUSTOMERS TO SUPPORT OUR YEAR. 
          SO THAT'S A, THAT'S A PRETTY, UM, STRIKING MAKEUP FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO BE THAT REMOTE AND THAT AMOUNT OF HYBRID. 
          UM, BUT WE REALLY FEEL LIKE IT'S, IT'S SUPPORTED OUR CUSTOMERS. 
          WELL, IT'S GOING TO HELP US TO CONTINUE TO BUY FOR, UM, THESE OPENINGS. 
          WE'VE GOT, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF OPEN POSITIONS IN THE CITY AND WE'RE ALL STRUGGLING TO HIRE PEOPLE. 
          UM, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TOOLS THAT WE CAN GIVE TO SAY THAT WE ARE COMPETITIVE, THAT WE ARE, WE'RE NOT AS DARK AND DIFFERENT AS THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS. 
          YOU CAN COME TO PUBLIC SECTOR AND HAVE THAT SAME KIND OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE, UH, WITH SO MANY OPTIONS FOR REMOTE WORK. 
          SO WE'RE REALLY HAPPY TO GO TO PROVIDE THAT. 
          WE RECENTLY, UM, THE CITY MANAGER SENT A MEMO THAT IS CALLED THE CIO ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY MEMO. 
          THAT WAS A LOT OF WORK, UM, FOR US TO DEVELOP A, A MEMO THAT REALLY JUST DETAILS WHAT IT IS THE CIO IS ACCOUNTABLE FOR TO THE CITY MANAGER, UM, THAT HAD NEVER REALLY BEEN DOCUMENTED. 
          YOU KNOW, WHAT WAS THE ROLE OF CTM? WE'RE A CENTRALIZED IT DEPARTMENT. 
          WE HAVE IT ALL OVER THE CITY THOUGH. 
          THE CITY, THE CIO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR TECHNOLOGY CITYWIDE. 
          THERE REALLY WAS NOTHING THAT SAID WHERE THOSE RESPONSIBILITIES WERE. 
          SO THIS DOCUMENT KICKS OFF A STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS FOR US. 
          WE'RE GOING TO GO TO EVERY DEPARTMENT, GREAT STRATEGIC PARTNER AGREEMENTS. 
          WE'RE GOING TO WORK WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND REALLY TALK ABOUT HOW DO WE BETTER ALIGN IT. 
          AS I SEE INVESTMENTS THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE CITY, YOU WANT A STRATEGY THAT CITYWIDE, WE MAY DO DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT WE WANT TO ALL UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON. 
          WE DON'T SEE TIM DOESN'T WANT TO OWN EVERYTHING. 
          WE NEVER COULD. 
          WE'VE GOT LOTS OF GREAT IT LEADERS OUT THERE, BUT WE WANT TO ALIGN BETTER. 
          UM, AND THIS MEMO IS THE, IT'S REALLY THE CATALYST THAT'S GOING TO DRIVE US TO THE FUTURE. 
          I BELIEVE WE'RE WORKING A LOT WITH OUR INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICE. 
          OBVIOUSLY SECURITY IS ALWAYS CRITICAL. 
          IT IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW WITH, UM, WITH EVERYTHING GOING ON IN THE WORLD. 
          SO WE'RE WORKING VERY, VERY CLOSE DAY IN AND DAY OUT WITH OUR SECURITY TEAM, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE. 
          COUPLE OF OUR APPLICATION PROJECTS, WE HAVE A VERY, VERY LARGE HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THAT WE ARE, UM, LOOKING FOR RIGHT NOW. 
          SO WE'RE ACTUALLY MEETING WITH VENDORS. 
          WE'RE DOING VENDOR REVIEWS IN A FEW WEEKS. 
          SO WE'LL FINALLY HAVE A MODERN HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN THE CITY. 
          UH, AMANDA, I MENTIONED AMANDA EARLIER, OUR LICENSE, A PERMITTING WE HAVE ON END OF THIS MONTH, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A DATE FOR THE CITY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH A MAJOR UPGRADE TO AMANDA THAT SHOULD REALLY HAVE A HUNDRED DEVELOPERS AND OUR RESIDENTS AS THEY TRY TO GET, UM, ACCESS TO OUR, UM, UM, OUR, UH, LICENSING, UM, PROCESSES AND THEIR PERMITTING PROCESSES. 
          COUPLE OF NEW ONES THAT ARE A LITTLE, A LITTLE MORE ON THE INNOVATION SIDE COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY ON THE 24TH OF MARCH AT THAT COUNCIL MEETING, SHE HAS A RESOLUTION THAT SHE'S POSTED TO THE MESSAGE BOARD OR, UM, ASKING THE CITY MANAGER TO LOOK AT CRYPTOCURRENCIES AND HOW THEY MAY BE UTILIZED THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF AUSTIN. 
          UM, SO THAT'S GOING TO IN A FEW WEEKS HERE, WE'RE GOING TO, WE'RE GOING TO SEE THAT AT COUNCIL. 
          WE'LL SEE HOW THAT GOES. 
          AND, UM, WE'LL SEE WHAT THE, YOU KNOW, WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S ASKED TO DO, BUT IT'S A 
          [01:15:01]
NEAT LITTLE INNOVATIVE THING THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS DOING. 
          AND SOME MORROW AFTERNOON, THE MAYOR IS HAVING A PRESS CONFERENCE TO TALK ABOUT WEB THREE AND BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES. 
          UM, HE, IT ACTUALLY IS LABELED LIKE THE CITY, THE US, STEVE ADLER, MAYOR OF AUSTIN, UM, IS ANNOUNCING THE CITY OF AUSTIN AS A LEADER IN BLOCKCHAIN IN WEB THREE TECHNOLOGIES. 
          SO THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE A LITTLE, UM, PRESS COMMENTS ABOUT THAT. 
          SO WE'RE REALLY, OBVIOUSLY COUNCIL IS KICKING OFF THIS, UM, INITIATIVES TO, TO SHOW AUSTIN AS AN INNOVATIVE LEADER IN THESE TYPES OF FIELDS AND TECHNOLOGIES. 
          SO IT'S, IT'S EXCITING. 
          UM, WHAT'S GOING ON? I DID HAVE SOME UPDATES ON, I GOT A QUESTION AHEAD OF TIME ABOUT, UM, AND I CAN STOP SHARING GOING BACK TO SOCRATA AND THE USE OF SOCRATA FOR DIGITAL, UM, THE DIGITALIZATION OF TABULAR VOTING DATA. 
          DID YOU WANT ME TO GO AHEAD AND SPEAK ON THAT NOW? OR WAS THERE, DID YOU WANT TO FRAME THAT DIFFERENTLY? UH, WELL, YOU CAN FEEL FREE TO GO AND JUMP INTO IT. 
          THAT'S FINE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SO I DID GET THE QUESTION, UM, AND BASICALLY IT WAS, THERE'S A PROPOSED RESOLUTION THAT YOU ALL WANTED TO PROVIDE THE COUNSEL THAT WE WOULD START TO TAKE OUR VOTING DATA OR FOR COUNCIL MEETINGS AND BE ABLE TO SHOW IN OUR SOCRATA OPEN DATA PORTAL, UM, IN A TABULAR FORMAT WHO VOTED IN WHICH DIRECTION FOR WHICH AGENDA ITEMS. AND WE'D BE, YOU DID SHOW A, AN EXAMPLE OF HOW DALLAS IS DOING SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR. 
          SO I TALKED TO OUR CLERK'S OFFICE, I TALKED TO CTM AGENDA. 
          THE AGENDA OFFICE IS A LITTLE I'M INVOLVED AS WELL. 
          SO SOME OF THE BACKGROUND, AND I KNOW THIS IS A, A TOPIC THAT'S BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE. 
          CAUSE I REMEMBER A FEW YEARS AGO, THE, THE DIOCESE ITSELF WHERE THE COUNCIL MEMBERS SIT WHEN THEY'RE NOT VIRTUAL IS SET UP FOR ELECTRONIC VOTING. 
          THERE ARE, THERE ARE LITTLE BUTTONS IN FRONT OF THEM. 
          THEY COULD TO, TO GIVE A GAY OR NE UM, INDICATOR. 
          THE AGENDA MANAGEMENT AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IS NOT SET UP FOR THAT. 
          THAT WAS AN OPTION THAT WAS NOT CHOSEN. 
          I BELIEVE THE COUNCIL THEMSELVES VOTED AT ONE POINT THAT THEY PREFERRED A MANUAL HAND, RAISE OVER, PRESSING A BUTTON AND SHOWING A LIGHTS. 
          UM, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT CANNOT, IT IS SOMETHING THEY CAN LOOK INTO THE CLERK'S OFFICE. 
          UM, THE PLATFORM IS CALLED LEDGER STAR, BUT THEY CAN LOOK INTO THAT TO, UM, IMPLEMENT IN THE AGENDA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, THE COLLECTION OF THOSE VOTES, IT WOULD REQUIRE A RESOURCE. 
          SOMEONE HAS TO ACTUALLY ENTER THAT IN TO THE SYSTEM DURING THE MEETINGS. 
          UH, THEY DO HAVE A PROJECT. 
          UM, THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE HAS A PROJECT AND IT'S IT'S THIS BASICALLY THEY WILL LOOK AT HOW TO GET THIS KIND OF DATA INTO THE OPEN DATA PORTAL. 
          IT'S NOT TOP OF THEIR LIST OF PROJECTS, BUT IT IS A PROJECT IN THEIR QUEUE. 
          UM, AND ONE THING THAT THE COURT'S OFFICE WANTED ME TO MAKE SURE I HIGHLIGHTED, UM, AUSTIN IS VERY COMPLICATED. 
          YOU ALL HAVE SEEN OUR COUNCIL MEETINGS, THE RATE AT WHICH THEY PULL ITEMS, AMEND ITEMS, MOVE ITEMS AROUND, MAKES THIS VERY, VERY COMPLICATED. 
          IT'S NOT A VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD PROCESS. 
          UH THEY'VE THEY'VE SEEN SOME OF THE SYSTEMS THAT DO THIS AND IT'S NOT VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN, UH, WE, WE DO THINGS LOU REED, RIGHT, WHERE WE KEEP IT WEIRD HERE. 
          UM, SO WE, WE DEFINITELY MAKE IT CHALLENGING TO DO THIS KIND OF WORK, BUT IT DOES NOT MEAN IT, IT CANNOT BE DONE ON THE TECHNICAL SIDE IN SOCRATA WE'RE ALREADY DOING THIS KIND OF WORK, NOT EXACTLY TAKING VOTES AND TABULATING THEM, BUT THE TYPES OF THINGS THAT WE WOULD NEED TO DO ON THE BACKEND, THE TEAM'S ALREADY WELL AWARE OF, THEY'VE GOT A GOOD GRASP ON THE PRODUCT. 
          THEY THINK THE PRODUCT CAN DO THIS TYPE OF WORK. 
          IT CAN GATHER THIS DATA. 
          IT'S MORE ABOUT WHAT SOURCE DO WE POINT TO, TO PULL THE DATA IN? UM, THERE IS A, A COUNCIL AGENDA ITEMS TRACKER ACTUALLY ALREADY THERE. 
          IT DOES NOT AT ALL TALK ABOUT BOATS. 
          IT JUST GIVES PEOPLE AN OPEN DATA, UM, VIEW TO GO IN AND LOOK AT COUNCIL ITEMS. IF THERE'S A POWER BI, UM, ANALYSIS TOOL TO KIND OF HELP GATHER BASED ON, UM, CRITERIA, THERE'S A MOBILE APP, EVEN TO HELP LOOK THROUGH COUNCIL ITEMS. AND THEN THERE IS A RAW DATA PORTION WHERE FOLKS CAN GO AND JUST GET THE RAW DATA. 
          BUT AGAIN, IT DOES NOT YET INCLUDE BOATS. 
          SO THOSE ARE THE NOTES I GRAB, UM, KIND OF WHERE WE ARE TODAY FOR THIS TYPE OF REQUEST. 
          AND I WANT YOU TO JUST COME BE AWARE OF WHERE WE ARE AND WHAT WE CAN DO, UM, TO KIND OF HELP YOU GATHER YOUR THOUGHTS AND WHAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO PRESENT TO COUNCIL. 
          [01:20:01]
THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          I KNOW THAT WE WERE ACTUALLY NEEDING TO CIRCLE BACK ON THIS IN RELATION TO A POTENTIAL BUDGET RECOMMENDATION. 
          SO WE WOULD WANT IT TO RAISE THIS ISSUE, TO SEE IF THERE WAS EXISTING RESOURCES THAT YOU'D BE ABLE TO EMPLOY, UH, TO GET THIS DONE. 
          AND WE UNDERSTAND NOW THAT THERE'S STILL MORE TO BE DONE. 
          WE APPRECIATE THAT FEEDBACK AND INSIGHT WITH YOUR INTERACTION FROM THE CLERK. 
          UH, WELL, I, I KNOW THAT THERE'S BOUND TO BE SEVERAL QUESTIONS. 
          I DID SHARE YOUR REPORT WITH THE COMMISSION AT A TIME. 
          UH, I LIKE TO OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS NOW, AND I'D LIKE TO BEGIN WITH ANYONE WHO HASN'T ALREADY ASKED A QUESTION. 
          APPRECIATE YOUR, YOUR HAND RACE. 
          MR. DASGUPTA. 
          DOES ANYONE HAVE A QUESTION BESIDES THE COMMISSIONER? DASGUPTA OKAY, PLEASE GO RIGHT AHEAD. 
          COMMISSIONER SCOOTER. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          SO I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT FROM AN ORGANIZATION POINT OF VIEW, YOU SAID THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE IT GROUPS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, WHEREAS YOU'RE SORT OF LIKE THE PRIVATE ORGANIZATION FOR COMMUNITY, COMPUTER AND TECHNOLOGY. 
          HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE THAT THESE MULTIPLE GROUPS ARE WORKING IN UNISON WORKING TOGETHER SO THAT YOU DON'T REINVENT THE WHEEL? HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE THAT THE WORK THAT YOU DO CAN BE PROPAGATED? IF IT'S A COMMON SOLUTION, CAN BE PROPAGATED ACROSS ALL THESE IDEA GROUPS, OR IF THEY DO SOMETHING THAT CAN BE APPLICABLE ACROSS THE ENTIRE CITY, HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE THAT IT IS PROPAGATED BACK AND FORTH SO THAT IT IS NOT REINVENTED EVERYWHERE? SURE. 
          SO THERE'S A COUPLE OF WAYS IN, AND SOME OF THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE STRIVING TOWARD. 
          UM, WE TALK A LOT, SO JUST TODAY WE ACTUALLY HAD WHAT WE CALL OUR IT SPOCK'S MEETING. 
          SO WE HAVE IT SPOCK'S ACROSS THE CITY AND IT'S QUITE A LARGE GROUP, UM, OVER A HUNDRED SHOWED UP TO THE MEETING TODAY AND WE TALK ABOUT CTM INITIATIVES. 
          SO TAKE, FOR EXAMPLE, WE TALKED ABOUT, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS IS, ARE, WE'VE GOT SOME MICROSOFT 2012 SERVERS THAT ARE END OF LIFE AND A LITTLE UNDER TWO YEARS. 
          SO WE HAVE TO START PLANNING AND WE'RE TRYING TO GET OUR DEPARTMENTS AND WE LET THEM KNOW, HEY, THIS IS COMING, TALK TO YOUR VENDORS, TALK TO US. 
          IF YOU NEED SOME SUPPORT, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ON A STABLE PLATFORM. 
          UH, WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OTHER INITIATIVES THAT WE'RE, THAT WE HAVE COMING UP, UM, WITH OUR OFFICE 365 DEPLOYMENTS. 
          AND, AND WE, WE ASKED THEM THE SAME, WHAT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOU. 
          AND SO IT'S A REAL COMMON WAY FOR THESE ARE THAT THE TECHNOLOGIST LEVEL WHERE THEY HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS. 
          UH, ANOTHER THING WE DO IS WE'VE IMPLEMENTED A BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP MANAGER PROGRAM. 
          SO WE HAVE BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP MANAGERS AND CTM THAT ARE ASSIGNED TO DEPARTMENTS AND THEY ROADMAP THEIR TECHNOLOGY FOR THEM. 
          THEY TALK ABOUT ALL THEIR NEEDS, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE DOING IN THE FUTURE? AND THEN THAT TEAM GETS TOGETHER ON A WEEKLY BASIS AND BASIS AND TALKS ABOUT WHAT THEY'VE LEARNED FROM THEIR DEPARTMENTS. 
          THEY BRING THOSE FINDINGS TO SEED, TO MANAGEMENT AT CTM, AND WE MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE COMMON SOLUTIONS, REALLY WHERE A LOT OF IT, WHERE WE CAN REALLY KIND OF STOP THINGS IF PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO GET AROUND PROCESSES IS PURCHASING. 
          SO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE VERY, VERY STRONG RELATIONSHIPS IN PURCHASING. 
          SEE, TIM'S BUILDING A CONTRACT MANAGEMENT TEAM INSIDE TIM TO MANAGE ALL CITYWIDE, UH, ENTERPRISE, SORRY. 
          IT CONTRACTS, UM, THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF AUSTIN. 
          SO THAT REALLY HELPS US HAVE THAT GREAT RELATIONSHIP WHERE IF SOMEBODY GETS THE PURCHASING AND THEY REALIZE IT HASN'T FOLLOWED OUR PROCESS, AND ALL TECHNOLOGY HAS TO GO THROUGH OUR INTAKE AT CTM, REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY ARE IN THE CITY OR, OR PURCHASING WON'T, YOU KNOW, THEY WON'T MOVE IT THROUGH. 
          THAT'S REALLY A MODEL THAT'S LIKE THAT LAST BIT OF OF HOPE. 
          IF SOMETHING GOT THROUGH ALL THE PROCESS, WE CAN STOP IT AT PURCHASING. 
          AND A LOT OF TIMES WE DON'T WANT TO JUST STOP PROCESS AND TECHNOLOGY. 
          WE CAN'T, THERE'S NO WAY WE COULD ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT ALL THE TECHNOLOGY FOR THE ENTIRE CITY OF AUSTIN. 
          UM, NOT TO MENTION THESE PARTNERSHIPS OR GIVE US DON'T EXIST YET. 
          WE'VE JUST STARTED THIS PATH, BUT AT LEAST HELPS US HELP GUIDE THEM TO THE BEST SOLUTION POSSIBLE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE READY. 
          THEY'LL THEY MIGHT HAVE A POINT SOLUTION. 
          NOW THEY MAY HAVE A CORPORATE SOLUTION LATER, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE READY TO COME ONTO THE CORPORATE SOLUTION. 
          SO WE DON'T HAVE SO MANY POINT SOLUTIONS. 
          SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE WAYS THAT WE'VE MANAGED THAT. 
          THANKS FOR THE QUESTION. 
          UH, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS THIS TIME FROM OTHERS, UH, COMMISSIONER GATES, RIGHT? YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU'RE MOVING TO ANOTHER GIS PLATFORM. 
          UM, NOW, UH, ON THE CITY WEBSITE, THERE IS 
          [01:25:01]
A PROPERTY PROFILE. 
          IS THAT GOING TO CHANGE OR IS THIS ONLY THE INTERNAL GIS? IT'S THE DESKTOP APPLICATION? SO OUR JS PRO WE'RE MOVING TO OUR JS PRO, SO IT'S ALL THE DESKTOP. 
          SO THERE'S A LOT OF USER TRAINING INVOLVED. 
          THE, THE ESRI, THE CLOUD SERVICES, ALL THAT, IT'S ALL THE SAME. 
          SO AS WE RJS PRO IS WHAT WE'RE MOVING TO. 
          SO THAT'S REALLY OUR POWER USERS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. 
          THERE'S GOSH, I THINK IT WAS ABOUT A THOUSAND OF THEM. 
          IT'S AN EXTENSIVE PROJECT. 
          WHAT THAT DOES, THOUGH. 
          IT DOES ENABLE YOU TO DO SOME BACKEND WORK, AUSTIN WATER IN PARTICULAR, THEY'RE ACTUALLY CHANGING. 
          WHAT'S CALLED YOU'RE MOVING TO A UTILITY NETWORK. 
          SO THAT FABRIC OF GIS, IT'S CALLED A NETWORK AND THEY'RE MOVING TO UTILITY NETWORKS. 
          SO IT'S REALLY BUILT FOR UTILITIES AND ESPECIALLY AROUND ASSET MANAGEMENT WHERE YOU CAN START TYING ASSETS TOGETHER. 
          IT'S REALLY COOL STUFF YOU CAN DO, BUT IT'S JUST VERY, VERY MODERN, BUT YOU CAN'T, YOU CAN'T MANIPULATE WITHOUT, UM, THE PROPER TOOLS WITHOUT THESE, WITHOUT THE RGS PRO. 
          SO THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE DOING RIGHT NOW. 
          DID YOU ALL LOSE ME OR DID I JUST LOSE COMMISSIONER GATES? DID YOU, ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THAT ANSWER? COMMISSIONER YATES? YEAH. 
          WE MIGHT HAVE A DELAY THERE, CHRIS, A GOOD OBSERVATION THAT WILL GIVE THEM A CHANCE. 
          UH, MEANWHILE, UH, THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US? THANK YOU. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          ONE QUESTION THAT I HAD, UM, REALLY RELATES TO A DISCUSSION. 
          I WAS PLEASED TO SIT IN, UH, LAST WEEK, UH, PERTAINING THE ENERGY GRID AND I'M REALLY, IT SPOKE TO THE DYNAMIC, UH, DURING THE PRESENTATION, THE SPEAKER SPOKE TO THE DYNAMIC OF, UH, REINTEGRATION AND HOW PEOPLE WORKING FROM HOME AND SUCH GREAT NUMBERS IS TESTING THE ENERGY GRID BECAUSE OF COURSE IT WASN'T DESIGNED FOR SO MANY PEOPLE TO BE WORKING REMOTELY. 
          I'M CURIOUS, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO THOSE DYNAMICS AND THE FUTURE OF AUSTIN, WHAT PLANS OR, UH, DYNAMICS OR, OR, OR ARE WE GOING TO MANAGE, UH, THAT ARE SENSITIVE TO THIS? IF, IF BASICALLY AS WE LOOK TO SCALE, UH, HOW WE CAN ENSURE THAT WE DON'T CREATE A CHALLENGE FOR OUR ENERGY GRID GOING FORWARD, OR YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT. 
          AND IN GENERAL, CHRIS, UM, I WOULD THINK IN GENERAL, I WOULD HOPE THE GOAL WOULD BE TO, TO OFFSET. 
          SO AS YOU MOVE PEOPLE AWAY, HOPEFULLY THE, THE SPACE, THEY WERE MAINTAINED, THE SPACE, THEY WERE KEEPING UP AN OFFICE SPACE. 
          UM, HOPEFULLY YOU COULD REDUCE THAT. 
          SO YOU HAVE SOME OFFSETS THERE. 
          I KNOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO. 
          I'M ACTUALLY, I'VE ACTUALLY MOVED PEOPLE AROUND WHO ARE STILL ONSITE TO MAKE SURE WE CAN GET RID OF ENTIRE FLOORS OR ENTIRE BUILDINGS AND MOVE THEM OFF TO ANOTHER, ANOTHER GROUP WHO NEEDS THAT. 
          SO, ONE THING THAT I MADE SURE THAT WE DID IS WE DIDN'T MAINTAIN ALL OF OUR OFFICE SPACE. 
          UM, ONE OF THINGS WE DID IS ONE OF THE, WE HAVE AN ENTIRE FLOOR OF THE BUILDING THAT WE ARE VACATING RIGHT NOW. 
          UM, AND JUST TODAY WE OFFERED TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS, THE, THE EQUIPMENT THAT WAS IN THOSE CONFERENCE ROOMS TO HELP ENABLE MEETINGS LIKE THIS TO HAPPEN. 
          SO WE WERE ABLE TO HAND THOSE OUT TO SAVE SOME DEPARTMENTS MONEY SO THEY CAN BUILD OUT MORE CONFERENCE ROOMS TO DO MORE HYBRID. 
          SO WE REALLY, WE REALLY TRY TO OFFSET THAT. 
          UM, AND FRANKLY IT GOES A LOT OF WAYS. 
          I MEAN, JUST FOR ME, IT'S, IT'S SELFISH THAT I DON'T WANT TO PAY RENT FOR SPACES THAT I'M NOT USING. 
          SO I'M TRYING TO REALLY MY BEST IN MY DEPARTMENT TO CONSOLIDATE, BUT I KNOW THE CITY IS TAKING A LOOK AT THAT TOO. 
          UM, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF EMPTY CHAIRS AND EVEN IF YOUR CHAIRS EMPTY TWO OR THREE DAYS A WEEK AND THE PERSON WORKS, YOU KNOW, CAN WE GO HABITATE? AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? SO I KNOW OUR BUILDING SERVICES TEAM, UH, REAL ESTATE, THEY'RE REALLY LOOKING INTO THIS, WE'RE HELPING THEM. 
          IT'S REALLY HARD TO DO THAT WELL WITHOUT TECHNOLOGY. 
          UM, THERE'S A LOT OF THERE'S GOOD SOFTWARE OUT THERE THAT TAKES A LOOK AT SPACE AVAILABILITY AND ALLOCATION AND RESERVATIONS. 
          SO IT'S, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THERE. 
          UM, AND THE CITY IS GONNA, IT'S GONNA TAKE A WHILE FOR THEM TO GET TO A BETTER PLACE, BUT I WOULD THINK IT'D BE OFFSETTING. 
          AND THEN OF COURSE, JUST RIGHT-SIZING YOUR TECHNOLOGY. 
          UM, IT'S WHERE YOU'RE NOT, YOU'RE NOT 
          [01:30:01]
UTILIZING THE TECHNOLOGY ITSELF. 
          ISN'T THE PROBLEM. 
          IT'S MORE THE HUMAN, UM, AND THEIR HVAC AND ELECTRICAL NEEDS AGREED. 
          OKAY. 
          WELL, THANK YOU FOR THAT RESPONSE. 
          I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          UH, COMMISSIONER YATES. 
          YES. 
          I HAD ONE MORE QUESTION HERE. 
          SO, UM, OUR CONDITION IS NOW OPERATING TOTALLY REMOTELY, BUT, UH, DOES THE CITY NOW HAVE THE CAPACITY TO ALLOW ALL BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS TO OPERATE REMOTELY? WE ARE RAMPING THAT UP. 
          UM, SO THE INITIATIVE THAT THIS COMMISSION PUT THROUGH TO COUNCIL, THE, UM, TO ASK FOR THE FUNDING THAT WAS APPROVED, UH, WE GOT THE TWO FTES TO HELP MANAGE THIS. 
          I BELIEVE ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO. 
          UH, WE PRIORITIZE THOSE FOR OUR POSTINGS. 
          I BELIEVE THEY'RE POSTED RIGHT NOW. 
          WE BUMPED THOSE TO THE TOP OF OUR PRIORITY LIST. 
          THAT'S GOING TO REALLY HELP US, YOU KNOW, JUST PEOPLE POWER. 
          YOU SEE THE PERSON IN THE ROOM WITH THE COMMISSIONER, UH, WITH THE CHAIR RIGHT NOW, IT'S ACTUALLY MANAGED THIS MEETING. 
          UM, SO WE'RE GOING TO HIRE THOSE PEOPLE, BRING THEM ON BOARD, THE REST OF, OF THAT STAFF THEY'RE FULLY STAFFED RIGHT NOW. 
          SO I BELIEVE WE'LL BE SOON STAFFED TO BE ABLE TO DO SO. 
          UM, I HAVEN'T, I BELIEVE THAT TECH PARTS ISN'T ALL THAT CHALLENGING. 
          IT WAS JUST A CAPACITY THING. 
          WE CAN JUST KIND OF RAMP THAT UP. 
          SO FROM A TECHNOLOGY PERSPECTIVE, WE WILL BE READY WITHIN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. 
          SO YOU WILL HAVE ENOUGH BANDWIDTH IN THE CITY GATEWAY PLUS ENOUGH CITY SITE, SO THAT MULTIPLE BOARDS AND CONDITIONS CAN OPERATE REMOTELY ON THE SAME DAY IN THE SAME TIME. 
          THAT'S THE GOAL. 
          AND I KNOW IN THE ATX INSIDE, THERE'S STILL SOME CHALLENGES. 
          THEY'VE GOT A COUPLE OF NEW BUILDINGS THAT WE'RE REALLY HOPING TO GET UP. 
          UM, AND THEY'RE STILL WORKING ON AUSTIN ENERGY, MOVED INTO THEIR NEW BUILDING. 
          I KNOW THERE WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THE SPACE THOUGH FOR ATX N UM, I BELIEVE THE SAME AS THE, AT THE PDC IS ANOTHER LOCATION. 
          AGAIN, IT'S A FAIRLY NEW BUILDING. 
          UM, ONE THAT WAS MOVED INTO DURING PANDEMIC AND THEY ARE WORKING ON THE ATX END SPACE OUT THERE. 
          THERE WERE FIBER ISSUES AT BOTH. 
          I BELIEVE THAT'S ALL RESOLVED. 
          UM, BUT YES, THAT'S, THERE'S MULTIPLE PARTS OF IT FOR THE STAFFING PART. 
          WE WERE GOING TO BE GOOD ON THAT FEW MONTHS ON THE SYSTEM, THE WEBEX PART, WE'LL BE GOOD THERE, UM, FOR ATX. 
          AND THAT'S A, A PROBLEM THAT WE'VE GOT TO GET FACILITIES BUILT OUT. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF EQUIPMENT AND THAT'S A PRETTY COMPLEX, UH, ARCHITECTURE FOR THEM TO EXPAND INTO NEW SITES, BUT THEIR GOAL IS TO BE ABLE TO DO IT REMOTELY. 
          SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO HAVE AN ATX 10 EMPLOYEE AT EVERY SITE. 
          THEY CAN MANAGE IT REMOTELY. 
          THEY CAN MANAGE IT FROM, UH, FROM CITY HALL WHERE THEIR PRIMARY LOCATION IS, BUT THAT'S REALLY WHAT THEIR, THEIR GOAL IS, IS TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE ALL OF THESE, UM, FROM REMOTE, FROM A REMOTE SITE, SO THEY CAN DO MULTIPLE. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, ONE ACRONYM THERE, P D C WHAT'S THAT, THAT IS THE, UM, DEVELOPMENT CENTER. 
          THE, YOU GOT ME ON THE SPOT, UM, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, I BELIEVE SO BASICALLY DSD THERE'S MULTIPLE SIDES, BUT IT'S THE ONE-STOP SHOP FOR ALL THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPING ALL RIGHT. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION AND A GREAT RESPONSE TO THAT. 
          THAT'S SOMETHING WHICH WE SHOULD CELEBRATE HERE AT THIS COMMISSION FOR SURE. 
          AND A LOT OF OTHER WORK WE'VE DONE AND, UH, WE CAN LOOK FORWARD TO THAT COMING TO PASS HERE IN THE FUTURE. 
          HE SAID WITHIN A FEW MONTHS, HOPEFULLY. 
          SO THAT SOUNDS GREAT. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR CHRIS BEFORE WE LET HIM GO? OKAY, GREAT. 
          WELL, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE PRESENTATION, CHRIS. 
          UH, I THINK THAT WE CAN ANTICIPATE, UH, AN INVITATION TO JOIN ONE OF OUR WORK GROUP DISCUSSIONS. 
          MAYBE SOON IF YOU'D LIKE TO JOIN US, I'D LIKE TO EXTEND THE INVITATION. 
          I KNOW THAT WE CAN HAVE MORE CANDID DISCUSSIONS IN THOSE WORKING GROUP SESSIONS AND AT THE SAME TIME IN THE SPIRIT OF TRANSPARENCY, JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR BEING SO OPEN ABOUT EVERYTHING HERE ON THE RECORD. 
          I APPRECIATE IT. 
          HAVE A GREAT EVENING. 
          THANK YOU TO ALL RIGHT. 
          OKAY, 
          [2C. Austin Free-Net: Update on Digital Literacy Training, Digital Navigation, Device Donation, and Future Planning (Jess Ross, Executive Director of Austin Free-Net)]
GREAT. 
          MOVING ALONG IN OUR AGENDA NOW TO, INTO AN ITEM TO SEE BY AUSTIN FREENET AND UPDATE ON DIGITAL LITERACY TRAINING, DIGITAL NAVIGATION, DIGITAL DONATION, AND FUTURE PLANNING BY JESS ROSS, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN FRIEDAN. 
          THANK YOU, JESS. 
          WELCOME. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          UM, I DO HAVE A SLIDE PRESENTATION. 
          UM, HOW DID WE WANT TO FACILITATE THAT? DO YOU PREFER TO NAVIGATE YOURSELF OR DO YOU 
          [01:35:01]
WANT CITY HALL TO DO IT? UM, I CAN USE CITY HALLS HELP. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          IS THIS THE CORRECT ONE? NO, IT'LL SAY, UH, AUSTIN FREENET 2022 UPDATES RIGHT NOW. 
          IT LOOKS LIKE I'M LOOKING AT THE AGENDA. 
           I THINK WE HAVE IT UP. 
          JESS, DOES THAT LOOK RIGHT? UH, I ACTUALLY CAN ONLY SEE THE AGENDA, BUT ON THE SCREEN I CAN KIND OF SEE WHERE WE'RE AT. 
          SO I THINK WE'RE GOOD TO GO. 
          UM, I WANT TO THINK, UH, THANK YOU TO THE COMMISSION AND EVERYONE IN ATTENDANCE, UH, FOR YOUR TIME TODAY, WE'VE HAD AN ENTIRE PANDEMIC SINCE THE LAST TIME AUSTIN FREENET HAS BEEN ABLE TO UPDATE THE COMMISSION ON OUR HAPPENINGS AND THERE IS A LOT HAPPENING. 
          SO I'M VERY HONORED AND EXCITED TO HAVE YOUR TIME TONIGHT AND A TREMENDOUS THANK YOU TO CHAIR PITS. 
          UH, RONDELLA HAWKINS AND JESSE RODRIGUEZ FOR SUPPORTING ME, UH, IN THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TODAY TONIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          I'M GOING TO START WITH A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE ORGANIZATION FOLLOWED BY UPDATES ON OUR DIGITAL LITERACY TRAINING, NEW PROGRAMS, OUR CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS AND FUTURE PLANNING. 
          AND THEN I'LL PASS IT TO CHAIR PITS FOR QUESTIONS AND FEEDBACK IN CLOSING AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION TO NIGHT AND LET'S GET STARTED. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          YEAH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          EXCELLENTLY SHARE THAT SCREEN. 
          UH, WHEN YOU HAD THE MULTIPLE SCREEN SHARING OPTIONS, SEMI PIECE, THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          UH, IN AUGUST OF 2021, I WAS ASSIGNED AS INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR AUSTIN FREENET AND I KNEW PRETTY EARLY ON ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I NEEDED TO DO WAS UNDERSTAND THE LEGACY OF AUSTIN FREENET WHO WERE WE IN 1995? WHAT FOUNDED AN ORGANIZATION THAT HAS MADE AN IMPACT ON SO MANY PEOPLE FOR SO MANY YEARS, I STARTED RESEARCHING AND QUICKLY DISCOVERED SUE BECKWITH AND ANISSA'S NET. 
          SO I WAS REALLY HAPPY TO HEAR. 
          UM, THE OTHER PRESENTATION MENTIONED THEM AS A PART OF AUSTIN IS HISTORY. 
          UH, I IMMEDIATELY REACHED OUT TO SUE BECKWITH TO LEARN ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION FROM HER PERSPECTIVE, AND TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE ORGANIZATION WAS CREATED AND THRIVED, UH, SUE AND I MET REMOTELY AND SHE TOLD ME THE STORY OF 30 DAYS AND $30,000 TO CREATE, UH, THE FIRST CITY OF AUSTIN WEBSITE AND HOW THAT PROJECT AND THE NEED TO REACH THE COMMUNITY CREATED AUSTIN FREE. 
          NOW, WE ARE UNIQUE IN THAT A FEMALE CITY OF AUSTIN EMPLOYEE FOUNDED OUR ORGANIZATION BASED ON THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY AND THE GOVERNMENT. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          I QUICKLY LEARNED WHAT MAKES AUSTIN FREENET GREAT IS OUR STRONG AND LONG STANDING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY AND WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, OUR ABILITY TO EVOLVE WITH THEIR NEEDS, ALONG WITH THE RAPID GROWTH OF TECHNOLOGY. 
          AND LASTLY, OUR MISSION FOR BARRIER FREE ACCESS TO ALL WITH A STRONG EMPHASIS ON OUR MOST UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY MEMBERS. 
          SO THAT WOULD BE, UH, PEOPLE OF COLOR, MINORITIES, REFUGEES, UM, PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, LOW-INCOME FAMILIES, SO ON AND SO FORTH. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          ONE OF THE MOST 
          [01:40:01]
REASSURING THINGS ABOUT TAKING ON THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ROLE AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR WAS THE OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FROM OUR SPONSORS AND OUR PARTNERS. 
          I COULD EASILY FILL ANOTHER TWO OR THREE SLIDES WITH ORGANIZATIONS THAT BELIEVE IN OUR MISSION, KNOW OUR HARD WORK AND LOOK TO US TO LEAD THE WAY FOR DIGITAL INCLUSION IN AUSTIN. 
          BUT WE ARE ESPECIALLY GRATEFUL FOR OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH TARA AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN WHO HAVE BEEN VERY GENEROUS AND VERY KIND WITH THEIR SUPPORT, WORKING WITH WORKING DIRECTLY WITH, UH, JESSE RODRIGUEZ AND JOHN PENCE. 
          AND THE REST OF THE TEAM HAS BEEN A JOY FOR ME TO SAY THE LEAST. 
          AND I'M VERY THANKFUL FOR THEIR PRESENCE IN THE WORK THAT WE DO. 
          AND I KNOW THAT THEIR SUPPORT MAKES OUR ORGANIZATION BETTER. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          ALL THAT IS TO SAY THAT AUSTIN POSITION IN 2022 IS TO HONOR WHAT MAKES OUR ORGANIZATION A LEGACY WHILE UPDATING AND EVOLVING WITH TECHNOLOGY AND THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS. 
          WE ARE COMMITTED TO FOCUSING ON OUR STRENGTHS, SOLIDIFYING OUR PARTNERSHIPS AND EXPANDING OUR REACH TO MORE PEOPLE THAN EVER BEFORE. 
          TO KICKSTART THESE INITIATIVES, WE LAUNCHED A NEW AND IMPROVED WEBSITE THAT PROVIDES EASIER ACCESS FOR OUR CLIENTS AND TRANSPARENCY FOR OUR PARTNERS. 
          WE ALSO DEVELOPED A SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN TO BROADEN OUR PRESENCE ONLINE AND REACH MORE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. 
          UM, BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S ON FACEBOOK NOWADAYS, YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WE THEN SET OUR ATTENTION ON DIGITAL LITERACY TRAINING. 
          THE PANDEMIC CHANGED LIFE, AS WE KNOW IT AND OPERATIONS AT AUSTIN FREENET, WE'RE NO EXCEPTION. 
          ALL OF OUR PARTNERS SITES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY WERE SHUT DOWN AND ANY CLASSES AVAILABLE WERE ONLY AVAILABLE REMOTELY, WHICH WE ALL KNOW CAN BE A BARRIER IN ITSELF. 
          THE COMMUNITY CONNECTION AND AUSTIN FREENET IS KNOWN FOR WAS NOT A PART OF THE 2020 COVID PROTOCOL. 
          SO WE HAD TO PIVOT AND WE HAD TO PIVOT QUICKLY. 
          UM, WE CONCENTRATED ON GETTING DEVICES TO OUR COMMUNITY AND WE WERE ABLE TO ASSIST AISD AND LOW-INCOME FAMILIES IN RECEIVING OVER 300 DEVICES TO GET THEM ONLINE FOR SCHOOL AND WORK. 
          IN ADDITION TO OUR REMOTE CLASSES, WE ALSO DEVELOPED AND LAUNCHED A SENIOR TECH PROGRAM THAT GAVE SENIORS TABLETS AND REMOTE DIGITAL LITERACY TRAINING TO HELP THEM STAY CONNECTED SAFELY THROUGH PANDEMIC. 
          AND THEN LASTLY, I'M VERY PROUD TO SAY THAT WE HAVE THE DISTINCTION OF BEING THE ONLY ORGANIZATION IN AUSTIN TO PROVIDE A PUBLIC ACCESS LAG LAB THROUGH THE PANDEMIC. 
          SO WHEN YOU SAY BOOTS ON THE GROUND, WE ARE DEFINITELY BOOTS ON THE GROUND. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          FOR DIGITAL INCLUSION, ONLY 2021. 
          WE ASSISTED THE CITY WITH SUBMISSIONS FOR THEIR, UH, ANNUAL ART PARKS, UH, ART POSTER CONTEST. 
          AND WE ALSO WORKED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR FRIENDS AT AUSTIN PUBLIC TO CREATE SEVERAL PSA'S ABOUT DIGITAL INCLUSION THAT AIRED ON AUSTIN PUBLIC CHANNELS FOR THE ENTIRETY OF DIGITAL INCLUSION WEEK. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. 
          BUT OUR BIGGEST, UH, EVENT WHERE WE'RE THE TWO DIGITAL INCLUSION PANELS THAT WE HOSTED THE FIRST WAS WHAT'S BIG TECH DOING TO BRIDGE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE, WHERE WE INVITED GUESTS FROM INDEED GOOGLE FIBER AND NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, AND HAD AN IN-DEPTH DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW THEIR COMPANIES WERE HELPING AUSTIN BRIDGE. 
          THE DIVIDE ATTENDEES GOT TO, UH, GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS AND ENGAGE THESE COMPANIES IN REAL TIME, WHICH WAS VERY FUN TO WATCH. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          OUR MOST POPULAR PANEL BY FAR THOUGH WAS OUR EAST AUSTIN WEST TEXAS DIGITAL DIVIDE DISCUSSION. 
          WE WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE MAYOR PRO TEM, NATASHA HARPER, MADISON CHAIR PITS, DR. 
          STOVER FROM UT AND KELSEY. 
          GARBY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR TEXAS RURAL FUNDERS TO DISCUSS THE SIMILARITIES AND BARRIERS THAT WET WEST TEXAS AND EAST AUSTIN FACE IN THE DIGITAL DIVIDE. 
          BEING ABLE TO PUT THAT TOGETHER, THIS EVENT WAS REALLY LIKE A CHEF'S KISS MOMENT FOR US, UM, WATCHING THESE PANELISTS DISCUSS BARRIERS AND HOW THEY MIGHT WORK THROUGH THEM. 
          I KNOW IT SOUNDS REALLY CORNY TO SAY, BUT IT WAS REALLY MAGICAL TO WATCH AND WITNESS THESE DISCUSSIONS FELT LIKE THEY COULD REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND CREATE CHANGE. 
          UH, FEEDBACK FROM THESE PANELS WAS PHENOMENAL. 
          THEY WERE LIKENED TO SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST PANELS, WHICH MADE ME FEEL LIKE A ROCK STAR, BUT IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, UM, THAT THAT'S REALLY WHERE WE WANT TO BE, UH, FOR DIGITAL INCLUSION WEEK AND AUSTIN MOVING FORWARD. 
          SO, UM, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          AS WE TRANSITION OUT OF PANDEMIC, WE'LL BE INCLUDING MORE REMOTE ONSITE AND HYBRID INSTRUCTION OFFERINGS IN ENGLISH, SPANISH, MANDARIN, AND 
          [01:45:01]
VIETNAMESE. 
          AND WE ARE CURRENTLY PLANNING WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS LIKE THE ASIAN-AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER AND CONNIE GUERRERO SENIOR CENTER TO RETURN TO THEIR SITES. 
          IN ADDITION TO ADDING NEW PARTNERS AND LOCATIONS. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          THIS QUARTER, WE PREMIERED 10 NEW WORKSHOPS AND FOUR NEW CLASSES. 
          I'VE LISTED ABOUT HALF OF THEM ON HERE, BUT TOPICS RANGE FROM CITY RESOURCES AND COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS TO DIGITAL DATING PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS AND FINDING JOBS ON INDEED.COM. 
          WE STRIVE TO OFFER A FULL RANGE OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND WE ROTATE RETIRE AND UPDATE CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS EACH QUARTER BASED ON DATA FROM ASSESSMENTS AND THE OVERALL SUCCESS OF EACH OFFERING TO KEEP OUR PROGRAMS CURRENT AND FRESH. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          WE DEVELOPED AND LAUNCHED TWO NEW PROGRAMS THAT WORK IN TANDEM WITH OUR DIGITAL LITERACY PROGRAMS TO HELP MAKE IT EASIER FOR CLIENTS TO GET THE RESOURCES THEY NEED QUICKLY AND AFFORDABLY. 
          NEXT SLIDE, OUR LEARNING AND PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS WILL COME, UH, COMPLETE ONE OF TWO PATHWAYS TO EARN A DEVICE FREE OF CHARGE FOR THEIR PART PERSONAL AND PRIVATE USE THE PROGRAM DEBUTED IN JANUARY OF 2022 AND HAS BEEN TREMENDOUSLY POPULAR WITH CLIENTS AND PARTNERS. 
          WE CURRENTLY HAVE 44 CLIENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAM, AND IF WE CONTINUE TO SEE REQUESTS TO JOIN THE PROGRAM AT THE WEIGHT THAT THEY'VE BEEN COMING IN, WE EXPECT TO HAND OUT A MINIMUM OF A HUNDRED DEVICES BY JULY OF THIS YEAR. 
          AND IT JUST  TO THAT OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, INCLUDING GOODWILL HAVE REACHED OUT TO US FOR RECOMMENDATIONS ON STARTING THEIR OWN LEARNING. 
          AND SO WE HOPE TO SEE THIS, UH, PROGRAM EXPAND AND SPREAD. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. 
          OKAY. 
          THE DIGITAL NAVIGATOR PROGRAM, UM, ENSURES COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE ACCESS TO ONE-ON-ONE CUSTOMIZED AND DEDICATED DIGITAL LITERACY AND TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT. 
          THIS FREE GOAL DIRECTED PROGRAM MATCHES CLIENTS WITH QUALIFIED DIGITAL NAVIGATORS FOR A CLEAR PATH TO DIGITAL INCLUSION WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY PROVIDING VOLUNTEERS WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO GIVE BACK AND GROW IN THE DIGITAL REALM. 
          THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO HELP PROVIDE THE COMMUNITY WITH WORKFORCE ASSISTANCE, SUPPORT OBTAINING GOVERNMENT RESOURCES TELE-HEALTH AND OTHER SOCIAL SERVICES. 
          BUT MOSTLY THIS PROGRAM ACTS AS A GATEWAY TO GIVE THE UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY MEMBERS CONFIDENCE, TO NAVIGATE THE DIGITAL WORLD IN A WAY THAT IS CUSTOMIZED TO REACH THEM WHERE THEY ARE IN THEIR JOURNEY AND HELP THEM NAVIGATE TO THE POINT WHERE THEY CAN SUCCESSFULLY REACH GOALS. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, VOLUNTEERS WHO CHOOSE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DIGITAL NAVIGATOR PROGRAM WILL BE VETTED AND TRAINED TO ASSIST OUR COMMUNITY IN NAVIGATING DIGITAL SPACES AND VOLUNTEER NAVIGATORS WILL SERVE AND ACT AND ACTIVELY ENGAGE IN OUR COMMUNITY, BUT WE'LL ALSO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN NEW SKILLS AND BADGES AND GAIN ACCESS TO SPECIAL CLASSES, TRAININGS, AND EVENTS. 
          OUR DIGITAL NAVIGATOR PROGRAM IS UNIQUE IN THAT WE HAVE AN ENTIRE PATHWAY FOR VOLUNTEERS TO CONTRIBUTE AND GROW WHILE HELPING OTHERS IN THEIR JOURNEY. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          WE HAVE A STRONG INTEREST ACROSS THE BOARD IN OUR DIGITAL NAVIGATOR PROGRAM. 
          AND, UH, WE'LL BE MEETING WITH THESE ORGANIZATIONS THIS MONTH TO DISCUSS POTENTIAL PARTNERSHIP AND EXPANSION OF THE PROGRAM. 
          UM, UM, IT IS VERY, VERY, UH, HOT TICKET ITEM. 
          EVERYBODY WANTS TO KNOW ABOUT DIGITAL NAVIGATOR AND WANTS TO SEE WHERE AUSTIN IS DOING FOR DIGITAL NAVIGATOR. 
          SO IT'S VERY EXCITING TIME. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. 
          UM, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS NOW. 
          UH, UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE NOT IMMUNE TO CHALLENGES AND BARRIERS AND THANKFULLY THE CITY AND OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS HAVE BEEN VERY GENEROUS AND SUPPORTIVE DURING ANY CHALLENGES AUSTIN FREENET HAS FACED OUR GREATEST BARRIER BY FAR IS OUR STAFF SHORTAGE AND HAVING THE FUNDS TO SUPPORT MORE STAFF SO THAT WE CAN MEET CURRENT TARGETS, PERFORMANCE MEASURES WHILE ALSO HAVING A SECURE FOOTING ON FUNDING, INITIATIVES AND GROWTH. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, WE'RE CURRENTLY A SMALL BUT MIGHTY TEAM AND WE TOTAL THREE MEMBERS INCLUDING MYSELF, AND WE'RE ALSO CURRENTLY HIRING FOR A BILINGUAL INSTRUCTOR. 
          OUR STUFF PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC WAS A TOTAL OF NINE PHYSICIANS. 
          SO WE ARE USED TO HAVING A BIGGER FOOTPRINT TO ACCOMPLISH MORE THREE STAFF MEMBERS PUT IN THEIR NOTICE DURING MY LEADERSHIP, ALL THREE STAFF MEMBERS REQUESTED A SALARY INCREASE THAT WE COULD NOT MEET. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          WE DO TRY TO USE ANY RESOURCE AVAILABLE TO US 
          [01:50:01]
TO HELP US WITH OUR STAFFING SHORTAGE. 
          THIS COMES TO US IN THE FORM OF VOLUNTEERS SUPPORT FROM AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY, AND WE WILL BE ENROLLING AMERICORPS TROOPS OR AMERICORPS VOLUNTEERS. 
          UH, THIS YEAR I SHOULD MENTION, I RECEIVED AN EMAIL YESTERDAY FROM AMERICORPS STATING THAT THEY RAISED THEIR RATES THIS YEAR IN AN EFFORT TO INCREASE THE LIVING ALLOWANCE FOR THEIR MEMBERS STATING IT WOULD GIVE SITES A BETTER CHANCE OF FILLING POSITIONS. 
          SO IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS A RELEVANT ISSUE IN OTHER ORGS RIGHT NOW AS WELL. 
          UM, AND THEN WE ALSO RECEIVED SUPPORT FROM UT STUDENTS USING CLASS PROJECT TIME TO HELP US ACHIEVE GOALS. 
          NEXT SLIDE, THIS, I REQUESTED A BUDGET INCREASE PRIMARILY TO HELP MITIGATE OUR STAFFING CHALLENGES. 
          WE ARE IN AN EMPLOYEES MARKET WHERE IT IS INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO FIND ADEQUATE CANDIDATES WILLING TO WORK BELOW AVERAGE WAGES. 
          THE INDIVIDUALS ON STAFF WHO ARE CURRENTLY WORKING AT BELOW AVERAGE WAGES DO SO BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE IN THE ORGANIZATION. 
          AND I CONSIDER MYSELF VERY LUCKY TO HAVE THEM, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS NOT SUSTAINABLE. 
          UM, WE ARE UNABLE TO MOVE FORWARD AT A STEADY PACE WITHOUT MORE TEAM MEMBERS ON BOARD TO HELP US CARRY THE WORKLOAD. 
          UH, AND CURRENTLY LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT HAVE TO TAKE ON THESE ROLES. 
          IN ADDITION TO THEIR OWN RESPONSIBILITIES TO MAINTAIN SERVICE. 
          THIS HAS BECOME PROBLEMATIC FOR SERVICE DELIVERY, EMPLOYEE RETENTION AND THE GROWTH OF THE ORGANIZATION. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          IDEALLY, WE WOULD LIKE TO BE STAFFED UP TO WHERE WE WERE PRE-CANNED DEMO. 
          WE WOULD NEED THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS TO GET US THERE. 
          AND THIS WOULD PUT US BACK AT A STAFF OF NINE AND WOULD REALLY ALLOW US TO WIDEN OUR SCOPE AND REACH MORE MEMBERS IN THE COMMUNITY. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, TO RECEIVE ANY INCREASE WOULD BE A GAME CHANGER TO SAY THE LEAST. 
          UM, I PROVIDED A SPREADSHEET TO THE CITY AND I WORKED WITH OUR CPA TO CALCULATE WHAT AN INCREASE OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS WOULD LOOK LIKE. 
          AND WHAT AN INCREASE OF $70,000 WOULD LOOK LIKE FOR AFN STAFFING PURPOSES. 
          ULTIMATELY MORE FUNDING TRANSLATES TO MORE STAFF AND EXPANSION OF SERVICES, WHICH MEANS MORE CLIENTS GET SERVED AND MORE LIVES GET CHANGED. 
          A BUDGET INCREASE WOULD PROVIDE US THE FUNDING TO RETURN TO PRE PANDEMIC STAFFING LEVELS AND WOULD ALLOW AFN TO GET STARTED ON FUTURE GOALS THAT ALIGN WITH THE CITY'S VISION. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, WITH NO INCREASE, OUR OPTIONS ARE LIMITED AND WE CAN EXPECT TO DELAYS IN SERVICE DELIVERY DUE TO OUR CURRENT BANDWIDTH. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. 
          WHEN AUSTINITES THINK OF PETS, UM, NONPROFIT IN AUSTIN, THEY THINK OF AUSTIN PETS ALIVE. 
          WHEN AUSTINITES THINK OF TECH AND NONPROFIT, WE WANT THEM TO THINK OF AUSTIN FREENET. 
          WE ASPIRE TO BE ONE OF THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE NONPROFITS IN AUSTIN, AND WE ARE ALREADY LAYING DOWN THE GROUNDWORK TO DO SO. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. 
          I ATTENDED THE, UM, NET INCLUSION CONFERENCE. 
          THIS FEBRUARY, I MET WITH THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL DIGITAL INCLUSION ALLIANCE ABOUT AUSTIN'S PRESENCE FOR NEXT YEAR'S CONFERENCE. 
          AND SHE WAS ADAMANT THAT THIS WAS TEXAS HIS TIME TO SHINE AND TO SHOW THE COUNTRY HOW WE ARE LEADING THE WAY TO DIGITAL EQUITY. 
          SO AFN IS DETERMINED TO MAKE A BIG STATEMENT FOR AUSTIN AND TEXAS AT THE CONFERENCE NEXT YEAR, BY PROVIDING INNOVATIVE LEARNING AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES. 
          WE WANT TO TAP INTO THE EVER-GROWING TECH INDUSTRY IN AUSTIN AND MAKE SURE BIG TECH IS SUPPORTING DIGITAL INCLUSION BY CREATING SOLID RELATIONSHIPS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO DO SO. 
          AN EXAMPLE OF THIS WAS BIG, OUR BIG TECH PANEL THAT I DISCUSSED EARLIER USING RESEARCH AND DATA, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE EMPHASIZING SERVICE TO UNDER REPRESENTED ZIP CODES. 
          AND WE WANT TO REACH COMMUNITY MEMBERS VIA SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS THAT THEY ALREADY USE. 
          WE WANT TO REACH OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHERE THEY ARE. 
          LASTLY, WE WANT TO REACH 3000 MEMBERS THIS YEAR AND WE WANT THAT TARGET NUMBER TO GROW EVERY YEAR. 
          UH, THIS YEAR WE WERE JUST UNDER A THOUSAND COMMUNITY MEMBERS SERVED. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT THE CITY SUPPORT, UH, WITH THE CITY SUPPORT, WE'RE AT THE FOREFRONT OF DIGITAL INCLUSION AND WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A TREMENDOUS IMPACT IN THE COMING YEARS. 
          GROWING THE PROGRAM, EVEN BY THE MODEST AMOUNT WE'RE REQUESTING WILL HELP US APPROACH CORPORATE FUNDERS. 
          AS THE CITY INCREASES ITS INVESTMENT. 
          IT'S 
          [01:55:01]
EASIER TO ASK OTHERS TO FOLLOW YOUR LEAD. 
          WE WANT TO ENGAGE BIG TECH LIKE WE DID DURING DIGITAL INCLUSION WEEK, AND WE WANT THEM MORE INVOLVED AND VISIBLE IN THE COMMUNITY. 
          WE WANT TO PLAN AND USE DATA DRIVEN METHODS TO FOCUS ON UNDERSERVED AREAS, BUILDING RESOURCES FOR BARRIER, FREE ACCESS, CLOSER TO THEIR HOMES. 
          AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IN AUSTIN NEWS ABOUT AUSTIN, BY WORKING CLOSER WITH THE MEDIA OUTLETS AND SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. LASTLY, EVERYBODY KNOWS SOMEBODY WHO STRUGGLES WITH THE DIGITAL DIVIDE. 
          WE WANT EVERYONE IN AUSTIN TO KNOW US AND OUR SERVICES SO WE CAN BRIDGE AND EVENTUALLY CLOSED THE DIVIDE ONE CLIENT AT A TIME. 
          WE ARE GRATEFUL. 
          UM, WE CAN SAY THAT WE'VE ALWAYS WORKED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY AND LOOK FORWARD TO MORE SUCCESS IN OUR MUTUAL GOALS. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. 
          IN CLOSING, WE ARE EXCITED TO BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF DIGITAL EQUITY IN 2022, JUST LIKE WE WERE IN 1995. 
          AND WE MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE COULD NOT HAVE COME THIS FAR WITHOUT THE SUPPORT FROM THE CITY. 
          WE ARE TREMENDOUSLY THANKFUL FOR YOUR TIME RESOURCES, PATIENTS AND SUPPORT. 
          UH, THANK YOU FOR SEEING THE VALUE IN THESE NEW OFFERINGS AND, UH, FOR THE VALUE IN YOUR PARTNERSHIP WITH AUSTIN FREENET, UM, THAT IS THE CONCLUSION OF MY PRESENTATION. 
          AND I'D LIKE TO PASS IT BACK TO CHAIR PITS FOR QUESTIONS AND FEEDBACK. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. 
          JUST A GREAT PRESENTATION AND FOR ALL THE HARD WORK YOU DO. 
          I KNOW THAT, UH, AS YOU KNOW, UH, WE WORK VERY CLOSELY TOGETHER AND AS YOU STATED WITH THE TARA OFFICE, AND SO, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO OPEN IT TO MY OTHER COMMISSIONERS, UH, AS THEY ARE LIKELY TO HAVE THE MOST QUESTIONS. 
          UH, AND THIS DOES RELATE TO A LATER BUDGET RECOMMENDATION WE'LL BE DISCUSSING. 
          SO THIS WOULD BE A GREAT TIME FOR ANYONE TO, TO GET THESE QUESTIONS ANSWERED DIRECTLY FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR HERE. 
          UH, FIRST QUESTION HERE IS FROM COMMISSIONER GATES. 
          YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT ONE OF YOUR CLASSES WAS CITI DIGITAL RESOURCES. 
          THAT SEEMS LIKE A SUBJECT THAT COULD BE OF WIDE INTEREST TO, UH, A NUMBER OF CITIZENS. 
          UM, IS THERE ANY OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF EXPAND, UH, THE, UH, THE BROADCAST OF THIS CLASS SOME ON? ABSOLUTELY. 
          AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT AUSTIN PHOENIX DOES THE BEST IS THAT WE ARE ABLE TO BE REALLY FLEXIBLE TO THE NEEDS OF OUR PARTNERS AND TO THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY. 
          SO IF THIS WAS A COST THAT WAS TO BE REALLY ACCESSIBLE, SUCCESSFUL, WE COULD PARTNER WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC AND HAVE IT TRANSMITTED ON, ON THOSE STATIONS. 
          UM, WE COULD WORK IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT PARTNERS TO HAVE A BIGGER REACH. 
          UH, YES. 
          UH, I'LL GET TO JUST ONE MOMENT, CAUSE YOU'RE DASGUPTA YES. 
          UH, COMMISSIONER OF DACA. 
          THANKS AGAIN FOR THE WONDERFUL PRESENTATION. 
          UM, UH, WHAT I HEARD WAS THAT FUNDING IS A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE FOR RALSTON FRIEDA. 
          I'M WONDERING IF YOU CAN TALK TO ANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRIVATE SECTOR FUNDING. 
          YEAH. 
          WE HAVE HAD TREMENDOUS SUPPORT FROM INDEED.COM AND GOOGLE FIBER. 
          UM, THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON RIGHT NOW. 
          AND IT'S, IT'S REALLY, TO BE HONEST, TO, UM, SECURE FUNDING FROM OTHER BIG SPONSORS, IF I DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO DO THAT. 
          AND THEN LITERALLY I'VE BEEN, UM, BOOTS ON THE GROUND. 
          UM, I WAS IN THE LAB THE OTHER DAY. 
          I WAS TEACHING A CLASS A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO. 
          AND SO IT'S HARD FOR ME TO FOCUS ON THAT AND REALLY GET THEIR ATTENTION BECAUSE THAT IS A FULL-TIME JOB IN ITSELF. 
          AND SO I THINK THAT'S REALLY WHAT I'M GETTING AT HERE IS THAT I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO PULL IN THOSE BIG INVESTORS, UM, IF I HAD THE TIME IN THE STAFF TO DO SO. 
          THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YES, COMMISSIONER. 
          DASGUPTA NOW YOU'RE ON MUTE RIGHT NOW. 
          OKAY. 
          MY QUESTION IS VERY SIMILAR. 
          I THINK, YOU KNOW, W WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS IN THE FIRST, FIRST PRESENTATION WAS ALSO SIMILAR IN THAT WE'RE TRYING TO REMOVE THE DIGITAL DUBAI, UH, AND IT HAS BEEN IN A, IN A CITY THAT SAYS IT'S SILICON HILLS, IT'S, IT'S MIND BLOWING THAT WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH, UH, UH, SUPPORTING AGENCIES, SUPPORTING GROUPS, SUPPORTING CORPORATIONS, W IT IS IN THEIR INTEREST TO GROW THE, THE, THE, THE AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCES. 
          IT'S NOT THAT THEY'RE DOING US A FAVOR. 
          [02:00:01]
IT IS IN THEIR OWN SELFISH, YOU KNOW, ENLIGHTENED SELF-INTEREST. 
          SO IF YOU'VE GOT GOOGLE FIBER, YOU NEED TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, OTHER COMPANIES LIKE, UH, LIKE, LIKE, LIKE, UH, FACEBOOK, LIKE, UH, IBM DELL, UH, I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. 
          I JUST RECENTLY SAW THAT UT HAS JUST KICKED OFF A $6 BILLION CAMPAIGN. 
          AND JUST IN THE QUIET PHASE, THEY'VE ACQUIRED $3.3 BILLION. 
          SO THEY'RE MORE THAN HALFWAY THERE. 
          AND ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT THEY'VE GOT SUPPORTING THEM IS MICHAEL DELL. 
          IT'S THESE KINDS OF PEOPLE WHO NEED TO STEP FORWARD IT'S IN THERE AND DRIVING SELF INTEREST. 
          THE MORE WE ENLARGE THE PIE, THE MORE EQUIPMENT THEY'LL SELL, THE MORE SOFTWARE THEY'LL SELL. 
          SO HOW DO WE GET THESE PEOPLE INVOLVED? THAT IS A, THAT IS A MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION I WOULD SAY, BUT I THINK REALLY JUST LETTING THEM KNOW THAT THESE SERVICES ARE OUT HERE AND THAT ORGANIZATIONS LIKE AUSTIN FREENET DO EXIST. 
          AND DO YOU NEED THEIR SUPPORT AND LETTING THEM KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF BIG TECH IS JUST MOVING IN. 
          SO THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHO THEIR NEIGHBORS ARE AND HOW THEIR NEIGHBORS ARE HELPING IN THE COMMUNITY. 
          AND SO I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO GET FACEBOOK AND BIGGER, UM, BIGGER TECH COMPANIES INVOLVED IN THAT IS IN THE PLAN. 
          UM, BUT I DO NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M STAFFED UP SO THAT EVERYTHING ELSE FALLS IN MIND AT THAT POINT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY. 
          WELL, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE GREAT PRESENTATION, JESS, AND FOR ALL THE HARD YOU DO. 
          OH, SORRY. 
          IT LOOKS LIKE COMMISSIONER. 
          OSCAR DOES HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          YEAH. 
          THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALL THE HOMEWORK. 
          YOU DO APPRECIATE THE THUMBS UP AND, UH, AND WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING TO YOU AGAIN SOON. 
          AND ONE OF OUR DIGITAL INCLUSION DISCUSSIONS, I'M SURE. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          THANK YOU GUYS. 
          AND HAVE A GOOD NIGHT. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          YOU TOO. 
          OKAY. 
          MOVING ALONG WITH OUR AGENDA AGENDA ITEM THREE, 
          [3A. Commission Discussion on FY 2023 Budget Priorities (Commission discussion and possible action)]
A COMMISSIONED DISCUSSION ON R F Y 2023 BUDGET PRIORITIES. 
          OKAY. 
          THERE HAS ALREADY BEEN SOME DISCUSSION AT THE WORKING GROUP LEVEL ABOUT MANY OF THE BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          UH, AT LEAST DURING TWO OF THE MAJOR WORKING GROUPS, WE HAD THESE DISCUSSIONS. 
          I WOULD LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND HAVE 80% SHARE OF THE DOCUMENT THAT I EMAILED SO WE CAN TALK THROUGH THEM. 
          STANDBY, PLEASE. 
          SURE. 
          IN THE MEANTIME, UH, THE DISCUSSION WE'D JUST RECEIVED FROM BROTHER PRESENTATION, WE JUST HAD, AND THEN QUESTIONS WE HAD FOR AUSTIN FREENET I THINK MAKES IT A GOOD SEGUE TO GO AHEAD AND GET THAT ON THE TABLE FOR DISCUSSION, ALTHOUGH IT WON'T NECESSARILY BE THE ORDER OF THE DOCUMENT SINCE WE'RE WAITING FOR THAT LOAD. 
          ANYWAY, UH, I KNOW THAT FROM MY PART, I PERSONALLY HAVE, I JUST GOT THROUGH DISCUSSING WITH RONDELLA YESTERDAY, ABOUT HOW WE'VE SEEN FIRSTHAND, EVEN WITHIN TARA, UH, THE IMPACTS OF THE MARKET, UH, IT'S, IT'S NATURAL FOR PEOPLE TO PURSUE OPPORTUNITIES AND TO, TO TRANSITION, UH, YOU KNOW, JOHN SPEARS OF COURSE, WENT TO HARRIS COUNTY, AND THAT'S WHY, UH, JESSE IS THE INTERIM PROGRAM MANAGER AND WE ALSO HAD OTHERS STEP AWAY, UH, EITHER FOR BETTER OPPORTUNITIES ACTUALLY, AS IT TURNS OUT. 
          UH, AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THIS IS A VERY COMPETITIVE MARKETPLACE WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, THE NONPROFIT SPACE, UH, AMONG OTHERS. 
          SO, UH, FRANKLY, I, I RECALL A QUESTION THAT I RAISED, UH, YESTERDAY OR DAY BEFORE, RATHER, UH, DURING ONE OF THE WORKING GROUP DISCUSSIONS THAT WE HAD. 
          UM, AND IT WAS WONDERING IF BASICALLY THE SURVIVAL OF THE PROGRAM REALLY DEPENDENT UPON, UH, THIS BUDGET APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION. 
          AND JESS WAS CANDID IN SAYING THAT THE SURVIVAL OF THE PROGRAM DID NOT DEPEND ON IT. 
          HOWEVER, UH, THE SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM CLEARLY DEPENDS ON IT, UH, IN MY OPINION, AND FOR THAT REASON, I'LL BE RECOMMENDING THAT WE APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATION, UH, FROST AND FREENET, I KNOW THAT'S, UH, WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE IT HERE MOMENTARILY. 
          I'LL GO AHEAD AND DISCUSS IT WITH YOU. 
          SORRY. 
          UM, ONE MORE SECOND. 
          SURE. 
          NO PROBLEM. 
          SO THE COST OF 200,000 TO MEET STAFFING NEEDS TO GROW THE DIGITAL NAVIGATOR PROGRAM AMONG OTHERS. 
          UH, OBVIOUSLY ON THE SLIDE THAT IS SHARED, 
          [02:05:05]
THEY'VE GOT SOME HIRING TO DO IF THEY'RE FULLY BUDGETED TO GET STAFFED UP TO NINE PEOPLE, AND THAT CLEARLY WILL IMPACT THE SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM. 
          THEY'RE LOOKING TO INCREASE THEIR CURRENT 198,000 ANNUAL CITY CONTRACT BY 200,000 TO 398,000. 
          AND AGAIN, THIS WILL ALLOW THEM TO BE COMPETITIVE IN THE DIFFICULT HIRING MARKET AND ALLOW THEM TO BUILD OUT EXPANSIONARY PROGRAMMING, INCLUDING THE IN PROGRESS DIGITAL NAVIGATOR PROGRAM POINT OF CLARIFICATION TRIP. 
          IT'S UH, JUST TO NOTE, UH, THIS DOCUMENT IS BASED ON AN EARLIER REQUEST, UH, FROM AUSTIN, FREENET THE, UH, WHAT WAS ACTUALLY SUBMITTED, UH, TO US IN THE PAST WEEK AS AN UPDATED REQUEST, UH, WAS TWO DIFFERENT OPTIONS OF FUNDING. 
          OKAY. 
          THEY HAD AN A $100,000 INCREASE AND A $65,000 INCREASE AS TWO OPTIONS THAT THEY PRESENTED TO US. 
          UH, SO, UH, THEY REEVALUATED THEIR INITIAL REQUEST DOWN TO THE 100,000 OR $65,000 OPTIONS. 
          OKAY. 
          THAT'S IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION. 
          THANK YOU FOR THAT, JESSE. 
          UH, SO THE ASK IS NOT EVEN AS GREAT AS ANTICIPATED, UH, IN LIGHT OF THAT. 
          UH, AND ALTHOUGH WE DON'T HAVE THE, UH, THE ABILITY RIGHT NOW TO EASILY EDIT THIS DOCUMENT, WE'LL BE LOOKING FOR IS TO APPROVE BASED UPON WHAT JESSE HAS STATED. 
          SO AN INCREASE OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, UH, YES, WE CAN SEE THE DOCUMENT LIKE YOU VERY MUCH. 
          SO EVERYONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE THAT DOCUMENT. 
          NOW, I LIKE TO OPEN IT UP FOR DISCUSSION ON THIS PARTICULAR ONE THAT WE CAN KIND OF COVER THIS WITH A VOTE AND THEN PROCEED, OR I'LL OPEN IT TO MOTION, TO APPROVE AGAIN, WITH THE CAVEAT THAT THE INCREASE IS ONLY A HUNDRED THOUSAND  I MOVE TO APPROVE THE REQUEST FROM AUSTIN FREENET OF TOTAL OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND INCREASE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I'LL SECOND THAT MOTION WITH THAT. 
          THEN WE CAN PROCEED WITH THE VOTE ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE BUDGET RECOMMENDATION FOR THE A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS INCREASE FOR AUSTIN. 
          FREENET PLEASE SAY, AYE. 
          AYE. 
          IS THERE ANYONE OPPOSED? IS THERE ANYONE ABSTAINING? OKAY. 
          WE'RE UNANIMOUS, IMPROVING THIS BUDGET RECOMMENDATION LET'S GO AHEAD AND PROCEED. 
          NOW, GOING BACK TO THE TOP, THE AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY PRODUCER WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT NOW AS IS INDICATED, THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN APPROVED. 
          SO OUR SUPPORT WILL SHOW AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF OUR SUPPORT. 
          NOT THAT I THINK A LACK OF SUPPORT WOULD RESULT IN THE ITEM ITSELF BEING REMOVED, BUT I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT WE'VE GIVEN BEEN GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON THIS RECOMMENDATION ON THIS BUDGET ITEM. 
          SO AS INDICATED, THE COST IS $450,000 TO REPLACE THE ARPA FUNDS AND MEET THE FINAL BEST OFFER BACKGROUND PROVIDED HERE BY JESSE AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY. 
          JUST ONE WON A BIT TO MAINTAIN THE PUBLIC ACCESS PRODUCTION FACILITY, MANAGE THE PUBLIC CHANNEL AND PROVIDE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FOR PRODUCERS. 
          THEIR FINAL BEST OFFER WAS FOR AN 125,000 AND TARA WAS ONLY ABLE TO, TO FUND THE 875,000 OF THIS, INCLUDING A ONE-TIME CONTRIBUTION FROM THE FEDERAL OPERA FUNDS THROUGH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, THE PERFORMANCE TARGETS WERE PROPORTIONATELY REDUCED DUE TO THE DROP IN FUNDING, AND THEREFORE THE 450,000 WOULD REPLACE THE ONE-TIME FUNDING AND MEET THE BEST OFFER AND EXPECT TO PERFORMANCE. 
          WHAT IS THE ALTERNATIVE IF THIS IS NOT APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL? GREAT QUESTION. 
          GOOD QUESTION. 
          UH, COMMISSIONER EATS. 
          AND THIS IS JESSE RODRIGUEZ, TARA. 
          UM, 
          [02:10:01]
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF CAVEATS HERE. 
          THIS DOESN'T REQUIRE COUNCIL APPROVAL. 
          UM, THE, THE FINAL BEST OFFER WAS APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL ALREADY. 
          UH, AND THAT IS A PART OF THE CONTRACT. 
          WHAT, UH, HOWEVER, THE YEAR ONE FUNDING IS WHAT WAS SECURED, UH, AND THAT INCLUDES THE ARPA FUNDS MENTIONED HERE. 
          UH, AND THOSE GO AWAY IN YEAR TWO. 
          SO NOW WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO FUND THAT. 
          UM, SO WE'RE PURSUING MULTIPLE AVENUES TO BE ABLE TO DO SO, INCLUDING WORKING WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT TO SECURE OTHER FUNDING SOURCES. 
          UM, ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR FROM THE COMMISSION IS, UH, TO SUPPORT THE CITY'S EFFORT TO, UH, REPLACE THOSE FUNDS FROM OTHER CITY SOURCES. 
          UH, IF WE CANNOT FIND, UH, FUNDS TO REPLACE THE ARPA FUNDS, THEN WE WON'T BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, UH, PRODUCER PROGRAM. 
          UH, SO, UH, COMMISSIONERS WHO WERE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MEETING IN FEBRUARY, UH, THERE WAS A PRESENTATION FROM AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY FROM ROKITA, UH, AND, UH, HER TEAM THAT THAT IS THE PROGRAM THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. 
          AND, UH, WE WOULD, IF WE'RE NOT ABLE TO REPLACE FUNDING FOR THAT PROGRAM, THEN WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SUPPORT IT. 
          THANK YOU, JESSE. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR, OR A DISCUSSION ON THIS PARTICULAR BUDGET RECOMMENDATION, IF NOT, I'LL LOOK TO, UH, FOR A MOTION TO APPROVE IT. 
          UH, AND THE SECOND, AND THEN WE CAN HOLD THE VOTE CARPETS, UH, IS COMMISSIONER APADACA, I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE FUNDS IS SHOWN IN THE DOCUMENT. 
          I SECONDED. 
          THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER APODACA AND COMMISSIONER DASGUPTA WITH THAT, THEN WE'LL GO AHEAD AND HOLD THE VOTE ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE RECOMMENDATION AS STATED IN THE DOCUMENT, PLEASE SAY, AYE, AYE. 
          ANYONE OPPOSED? ANYONE ABSTAINING VOTE IS UNANIMOUS NINE IN FAVOR WITH ZERO ABSTENTIONS. 
          OKAY. 
          NOW PROCEEDING TO THE NEXT ITEM, THE COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY INTERN PROPOSAL. 
          NOW THIS IS AN ITEM WHICH WAS ACTUALLY NOT APPROVED YET, UH, BASED UPON, UH, MY DISCUSSION WITH RHONDELLA, UH, UH, SHE WAS CANDID THAT NATURALLY THERE'S A DESIRE TO, UH, TO, TO FIND A WAY TO SAVE ON THE BUDGETS AND LET THIS A CHALLENGE THAT SHE ALWAYS HAS. 
          OF COURSE, UH, IT DOESN'T MEAN THOUGH THAT OUR RECOMMENDATION COULDN'T ADD VALUE HERE. 
          UH, WE DID JUST ACTUALLY HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH CHRIS STEWART, WHICH, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO FOLLOW UP ON, FRANKLY, IN RELATION TO THE SUPPORT FOR THE PC CONNECTION PROGRAM AND THE ROLE THAT CTM PLAYS IN SUPPORTING THAT. 
          MEANWHILE, UH, IT'S CLEAR BASED ON MY DISCUSSION WITH MANDELA, THAT THIS WILL BE HELPFUL. 
          SO I'D LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND READ THIS AND TO SEE IF WE CAN GET SUPPORT FOR THIS TODAY. 
          SO THE COST WOULD BE $47,022, INCLUDING MEDICARE AND FICA BACKGROUND. 
          THIS WOULD SUPPORT ONE ADMIN INTERN AT $13 PER HOUR AND ONE TECHNOLOGY INTERN AT $15 PER HOUR FOR 30 HOURS A WEEK FOR A WHOLE YEAR. 
          THE TECHNOLOGY AND TURN WOULD FOCUS ON VICE REFURBISHING LAB MAINTENANCE, PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. 
          I SUPPORT FOR DEVICE RECIPIENTS AND INVENTORY MANAGEMENT. 
          THE ADMIN INTERN WOULD FOCUS ON CAPACITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES FOR G2 OPS MARKETING ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. 
          NOW IN LIGHT OF THE DISCUSSION WE HAD EARLIER ABOUT, UH, THIS COMPETITIVE MARKET, I THINK THAT IT WOULD BE REASONABLE TO SUPPORT A LARGER AMOUNT FOR THIS RECOMMENDATION ONE THAT WOULD GET US PERHAPS 
          [02:15:01]
UP TO 15 AND 20. 
          I HAVE TO ADMIT I HAVEN'T DONE THAT MATH YET. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANY MATH WHIZZES THAT WANT TO TRY TO, OR IF THERE'S A WAY TO BRIEFLY DO THAT. 
          ALTERNATIVELY, I THINK THIS WILL BE A MINIMAL, UH, RECOMMENDATION TO MAKE, AND I WOULD LOOK FOR A MOTION TO APPROVE IT IN A SECOND. 
          I HAVE A COMMENT BEFORE YOU MAKE MOTION. 
          UH, YES, OF COURSE, OF COURSE, IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION, PLEASE, YOU CAN, I RECOMMEND THAT WE PASS EMOTION RATHER THAN FOCUSING ON THE TOTAL COST, BUT RATHER SAY THAT THE AMOUNTS HE RAISED FROM 13 TO 15 AND THE 15 TO 20 AND WHATEVER THAT AMOUNTS TO IN FEDERAL DOLLARS AS, AS PART OF THE MOTION, BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW HOW THE 30 HOURS IS BEING DISTRIBUTED. 
          WE FAIL TO FAIR ENOUGH. 
          THERE'S SOME NONLINEAR FUNCTIONS IN THERE TOO, IN TERMS OF, UH, FICA MEDICARE. 
          SO THOSE ARE SOMETHING THAT WE PROBABLY CAN'T CONFUSE. 
          OKAY. 
          SO LET'S FOCUS ON THE HOURLY RATES, 13 GOING TO 15 AND 15, GOING TO 20 AND PASS THE MOTION ACCORDINGLY. 
          I CONCUR, I CONCUR. 
          IT SEEMS LIKE I'M SEEING A LOT OF HEAD NODDING AND SOME THUMBS UPS. 
          OKAY, WELL THEN, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE, UH, THIS BUDGET RECOMMENDATION FOR 15 AND $20 PER HOUR FOR THE TWO INTERNS. 
          AND I'LL LOOK FOR A SECOND. 
          OKAY. 
          WITH THAT, THEN WE'LL GO AHEAD AND HOLD A VOTE ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THIS RECOMMENDATION FOR 15 AND 20 FOR THE TWO INTERNS, PLEASE SAY, AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          IS ANYONE OPPOSED? ANYONE ABSTAINING? OKAY, WE'RE GOING ANIMUS NINE TO ZERO IN FAVOR OF THAT RECOMMENDATION. 
          OKAY. 
          LASTLY, UH, THIS IS, UH, JUST AN UPDATE, UH, MORE OF A HEADS UP FOR EVERYONE. 
          UH, AND THIS WAS PART OF OUR DISCUSSION AS WELL. 
          UM, AND A COUPLE OF THE WORKING GROUPS, BUT AS EVERYONE HERE KNOWS, UH, WE'VE HAD GOOD SUCCESS WITH OUR DIGITAL INCLUSION, UH, WEEK ART COMPETITION. 
          UM, AND LOOK FORWARD TO THAT CONTINUING IN THE FUTURE, UH, WITH THE SUPPORT OF PARTNERS LIKE AUSTIN FREENET AND AS A RESULT OF, UH, FRANKLY, UH, CHALLENGES WITH THE VISTA FULFILLMENT, IF YOU WILL, UH, FROM A STAFFING STANDPOINT, A SWITCH WAS MADE. 
          AND SO AS A RESULT, TEAR UP, CUT THE BUDGET FROM THE VISTA AND PUT THAT $4,000 TO REALLOCATE 2000 TO THE ART COMPETITION IN 2000 TO SUPPORT DETAILS, MARKETING, VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD, VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD, AND YET VERY IMPORTANT WE'VE DISCUSSED AT LENGTH. 
          UH, OF COURSE, HOW, UH, G TOPS, HOW CRITICAL IT IS TO GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT G TOPS, WHETHER IT'S FOR RECRUITMENT OF REVIEWERS OR THE PROGRAM ITSELF, HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR US TO HAVE A MARKETING PLAN THAT WE CAN FOLLOW TO OPEN UP NEW CHANNELS AND TO, UH, LEVERAGE OUR NEW PIO FOR THAT PURPOSE. 
          SO IT'S ALMOST A NO BRAINER AND LIKEWISE, THE ART COMPETITION VERY ENGAGING AND IMPACTFUL FOR THE COMMUNITY, UH, EXCITED TO SEE THAT EXPAND, UH, GOING FORWARD WITH THE FORMAL BUDGET, WITH EVERYONE'S SUPPORT. 
          SO WITH THAT, THEN I LOOK FOR A MOTION TO APPROVE, UH, RATHER THERE'S NO APPROVAL NECESSARY AGAIN. 
          SO JUST A HEADS UP THAT ONE'S EASY AND I BELIEVE THAT IS IT. 
          SO WITH THAT, THEN WE CAN PROCEED IN OUR AGENDA 
          [4A. Digital Inclusion, Civic Engagement, and Strategic Technology and Telecom Policy Working Group]
NOW FOR COMMISSION UPDATES, JEANETTE, AND FOR BEGINNING WITH THE DIGITAL INCLUSION, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND STRATEGIC TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOM POLICY WORKING GROUP. 
          UH, SO, UM, I THINK SUBSEQUENTLY, UH, SUBSEQUENTLY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING GOING ON RIGHT NOW IS SHE TOPS. 
          UH, WE ARE DELIGHTED OF COURSE, TO HAVE OUR PRESENTATIONS EARLIER AND, UM, REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE A DEEPER DIVE INTO SOME OF THE DATA, 
          [02:20:01]
UH, FROM MEASURE AUSTIN AND REALLY THRILLED BY THEIR WORK. 
          WE HAD, UH, SEVERAL MEMBERS FROM OUR COMMUNITY, INCLUDING, UH, JESSE PARTICIPATE IN THE NATIONAL DIGITAL INCLUSION ALLIANCE, UH, CONFERENCE AND COME BACK AND SHARE INSIGHTS. 
          AND, AND, UH, IT'S BEEN EXCITING TO GET THOSE DOWNLOADS AND, AND TO, TO SEE THE ENERGY THAT WAS GENERATED THERE. 
          AND, AND FRANKLY, IT WAS REWARDING TO LEARN THAT WE'RE, WE'RE DOING, UH, SOME REALLY GREAT WORK HERE, UH, TO ADDRESS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE AND TO, UH, FACE THESE ISSUES AS A COMMUNITY. 
          WE DEFINITELY HAVE, UH, LEARNINGS FROM OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE DEALT WITH SIMILAR CHALLENGES THAT WE CAN CAN LEARN FROM. 
          UH, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO US DOING THAT. 
          UH, G TOPS IS UNDERWAY, UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, THE REVIEW. 
          UH, WE MET ALREADY WITH THE PRELIMINARY REVIEW TEAMS AND, UH, HAD OUR ORIENTATION SESSIONS. 
          AND SO WE BEGUN TO ANALYZE THE APPLICATIONS AND IT LOOKED FORWARD TO THAT PROCEEDING AND GOING WELL, WE ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH, UH, THE PLANNING OF THE TOWN HALLS. 
          WE AGREED TO EXECUTE AS A COMMISSION WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY AND OTHER PARTNERS. 
          UH, IN FACT, I WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE ANYONE. 
          UH, OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN OUR QUORUM LIMITATIONS, UH, WALKING QUORUM, LIMITATIONS REQUIREMENTS, RATHER, BUT, UH, WE CAN HAVE IN THE PLANNING EFFORT, UH, SO FOR MORE, UH, COULD BE INVOLVED, UH, WITH CERTAINLY A WELCOME ANYONE, BUT, UH, WE CAN ONLY HAVE UP TO FOUR MORE AND THAT'S GOING TO MEAN, OF COURSE, UH, WORKING ON, UH, COMMUNICATIONS IS GOING TO MEAN WORKING ON LOGISTICS. 
          IT'S GOING TO MEAN WORKING ON COLLABORATIVE OUTREACH AS WELL. 
          SO IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW LEADERSHIP AND TO NETWORK. 
          SO FOOD FOR THOUGHT, UH, IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE OUR NEXT PLANNING MEETING THIS FRIDAY AT 11:00 AM. 
          SO IF YOU WISH TO PLEASE LET ME KNOW, AND THEN WE'LL FORWARD THAT INVITATION ON. 
          AND BASED ON THE FACT THAT WE'VE GOT A LIMITATION, I'LL DO IT ON A FIRST COME FIRST, UH, BASIS UP TO FOUR MORE COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS OR, OR, UH, FEEDBACK FOR THIS WORKING GROUP. 
          AND IN FACT, I'D LIKE TO GIVE AN OPPORTUNITY, UH, IN LIGHT OF THE TOPIC THAT TO JESSE TO SHARE, UH, FROM HIS EXPERIENCES FROM THE CONFERENCE, IF HE LIKED JESSE. 
          YEAH. 
          I ONLY HAVE A COUPLE OF THOUGHTS HERE. 
          UM, THERE WAS A LOT OF CONVERSATION FROM DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES ON, UH, HOW THEIR, YOU KNOW, IN INDIVIDUALLY SETTING UP, UH, DIGITAL NAVIGATOR PROGRAMS. UH, SO THERE WAS LOTS OF INFORMATION SHARE ON BEST PRACTICES IN THAT REALM. 
          UM, THERE WAS A DISCUSSION ON, UH, HOW TO, UH, DO QUALITATIVE RESEARCH, UH, WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE OF, UH, FOLKS, WHICH I WAS HAPPY ABOUT BECAUSE WE ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, IN THE TAIL END OF, AS YOU ALL HEARD EARLIER TODAY WITH THE MEASURE AUSTIN STUDY, THAT WAS OUR, UH, LIVED EXPERIENCE EFFORT. 
          SO I'M HAPPY THAT WE'RE, UH, ON THE RIGHT TRACK WITH THAT PROJECT. 
          UM, IT'S LATE IN THE DAY. 
          I'M NOT SURE IF I CAN REMEMBER ANY OF THE OTHER ONES THAT'S FAIR ENOUGH. 
          FAIR ENOUGH, JESSE. 
          AND, AND BY THE WAY, UH, COTON IS A PLANT KEY ROLE IN COORDINATING THE EFFORT, UH, FOR, UH, THE COLLABORATION WITH THE LIBRARY ON THE TOWN HALLS. 
          AND SHE WAS ALSO A PART OF THE GROUP THAT JOINED THE CONFERENCE. 
          SO I LIKE TO GIVE KATANA CHANCE AS WELL AS OUR, UH, WITH HER FOCUS ON DIGITAL INCLUSION AS OUR CONSULTANT TO CHIME IN NOW. 
          OH, HI, GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. 
          UM, UH, THANK YOU, CHAIR PITS. 
          I THINK THE CONFERENCE WAS VERY INTERESTING BECAUSE IT FELT LIKE A GATHERING OF A TRIBE OF PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTOOD EACH OTHER'S LANGUAGE AND HAD A SHORTHAND WHEN IT CAME TO DIGITAL INCLUSION AND, UM, ALIGNING SOME OF THE WORK THAT WAS BEING DONE. 
          I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH JESSE. 
          THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY STOOD OUT. 
          IN FACT, WE 
          [02:25:01]
HAD ONE OF THE SPEAKERS, UH, FROM BLACK BRILLIANCE TODAY AT THE DECA CALL WHO MADE A PRESENTATION. 
          AND I THINK, UH, COMMISSIONER UPPER DACA WAS ALSO THERE ON THAT CALL. 
          UM, AS WELL AS I THINK SHEPHERD'S, YOU WERE ON THAT CALL AS WELL, AND THAT WAS RECORDED. 
          SO WE CAN CERTAINLY SHARE THAT TO LEARN ABOUT HOW TO POSITION THE QUESTIONS THAT WE ARE ASKING TO GET THE ANSWERS THAT WE NEED FROM THE COMMUNITY, SO THAT WE CAN CORRECTLY READ THE REALITIES OF THE COMMUNITY. 
          THAT WAS VERY POWERFUL. 
          UM, WHAT DOES THAT PROCESS LOOK LIKE? IT'S, UH, IT'S, UH, ALMOST AN INTENTIONAL NEW WAY OF THINKING AND BEING, AND VIEWING LEADERSHIP. 
          DO WE LEAD FROM THE FRONT OF THE ROOM FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM OR THE BACK OF THE ROOM WHEN IT COMES WITH THE COMMUNITY, HOW DO WE MOVE TO THE BACK OF THE ROOM AND ALLOW THE COMMUNITY TO MOVE TO THE FRONT OF THE ROOM? I THINK THAT WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT STOOD OUT FOR ME FOR THIS CONVENING. 
          UM, AND THERE WAS A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THE FUNDS THAT ARE GOING TO BE RELEASED, UH, THAT SHOULD BE COMING IN THE SUMMER OR FALL AND HOW TO BE SHOVEL READY FOR THAT. 
          SO IT WAS A VERY INTERESTING GATHERING AND THEN THE POWER OF COALITION BUILDING, HOW DO WE BUILD COALITIONS IN A WAY THAT ARE EFFECTIVE AND DIVERSE? THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. 
          NO, THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          CO-TAUGHT AND IN FACT REMINDER AS WELL ABOUT THE CALL TODAY AS WELL. 
          THANK YOU FOR COMMISSIONER DACA FOR JOINING THAT CALL. 
          UH, IT WAS VERY, UH, IT WAS VERY NICE TO, TO SEE THAT WE DO HAVE A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING, THAT THEY'RE HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. 
          AND YET TO HAVE THAT REMINDER OF HOW IMPORTANT IT IS, UH, YOU KNOW, TO ALLOW WHAT WAS CALLED PARTICIPATORY. 
          I WANT TO MAKE SURE I SAY IT CORRECT PRECIPITATE RESPIRATORY RESEARCH. 
          IT WAS, UM, PARTICIPATORY ACTION, JUST VICTORIA ACTS AND REESE ACTION RESEARCH. 
          UM, AND YOU KNOW, REALLY JUST CONCEPTUALLY, YOU KNOW, AS A WAY TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT THE LIVED EXPERIENCES THAT ARE SHARED, THAT WE'RE GETTING AS CLOSE TO THE PROBLEM AND THOSE WHO HAVE THE CHALLENGES AS POSSIBLE, UH, AND THEN MAPPING SOLUTIONS WITH THAT AS A POINT OF DEPARTURE. 
          UH, SO IT WAS, IT WAS VERY, IT WAS, IT WAS VERY REWARDING TO HEAR AND TO LEARN THAT WE ARE HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND, UH, AND FRANKLY TO SEE SUCH SUPPORT AMONGST THE COMMUNITY, UH, FOR COLLABORATIVE WORK. 
          IN FACT, ONE OF THE THINGS I THOUGHT THAT WAS MOST PROFOUND WAS HEARING THAT FROM SOMEONE WHO WORKS IN THE SPACE, WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE READY FOR THE FUNDING TO BE TOLD EFFECTIVELY THAT WE'RE BASICALLY KIND OF ALREADY THERE, THAT WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE PRETTY MUCH WHERE WE NEED TO BE, AND WE CAN JUST KEEP DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING AND MORE, AND THEN WE SHOULD BE VERY WELL POSITIONED TO RECEIVE, UH, ALL THE SUPPORT THAT WE CAN FOR THE COMMUNITY. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR THAT REMINDER COTON. 
          UH, WAS THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR FEEDBACK OR, OKAY, GREAT. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          THEN WE'LL GO AHEAD. 
          PROCEED IN THE AGENDA TO THE NEXT WORKING GROUP, 
          [4B. Knowledge, Information, and Data Stewardship Working Group]
JEN ITEM FOUR B THE KNOWLEDGE INFORMATION AND DATA STEWARDSHIP WORKING GROUP A YES. 
          AND THAT'S CHAIRED BY COMMISSIONER FLOYD. 
          GOT YOU ON MUTE THERE, BUT YOU'RE STILL MUTED KISHA FLOOD. 
          I'M NOT SURE IF YOU CAN HEAR US WELL, WE CAN COME BACK TO YOU. 
          UH, AND SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND PROCEED THEN TO JENNA ITEM 
          [4C. Technology, Infrastructure, and Innovation Working Group]
FOUR C AND WE'LL COME BACK TO FOUR B UH, NOW THE TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE AND INNOVATION WORKING GROUP, AND THAT'S CO-CHAIRED BY COMMISSIONER DASGUPTA. 
          OKAY. 
          SO LET ME, UH, LET ME COVER THE PARTS THAT I TOOK NOTES, AS YOU KNOW, THAT I LEFT A LITTLE LARRY TO GO TO ANOTHER COMMUNITY EVENT, UH, THIS TIME THAT ONE BEING, UH, PROJECT CONNECT AND THE CONSTRUCTION THAT'S HAPPENING ALL AROUND THE CITY. 
          UH, SO WE ACTUALLY DISCUSSED, WE SPEND MOST OF OUR TIME, WE SPENT THE FIRST 45 MINUTES TALKING ABOUT THE BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS AND IT DELIGHTS ME, YOU KNOW, AND THAT WE SUPPORTED, UH, IN ALL OF THE REQUESTS, 
          [02:30:01]
UH, INCLUDING THE ONES THAT ARE STILL IN DISCUSSION OR NOT CONSIDERED YET. 
          AND SO I, I AM DELIGHTED. 
          AND, UH, THE NEXT TOPIC, UH, WE WERE GOING TO TALK ABOUT WITH THE GATTON BYLAWS, UH, COMMISSIONER EATS SAID, UH, SENT A NEW DOCUMENT THAT WE, AS A WORKING GROUP WOULD HAVE TO READ AND DIG IT UP AND A FOLLOW ON DISCUSSION. 
          SO THOSE ARE BASICALLY THE TWO ITEMS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, MOST OF THE TIME BEING SPENT ON THOSE BUDGET REQUESTS. 
          UM, I MISSED THE LAST 15 MINUTES OF THE DISCUSSION. 
          SO, UH, COMMISSIONER FLOYD, DOESN'T THE MORE TO ADD, I'M GOING TO TURN THE MIC OVER TO HIM. 
          OKAY. 
          MR. FLOYD, WE CAN'T HEAR YOU NOW. 
          YEAH. 
          I'M AFRAID. 
          IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR MICROPHONE IS NOT WORKING. 
          UH, BUT, UH, I, I THINK YOU COVERED IT FAIRLY WELL. 
          COMMISSIONER DASGUPTA, UH, FROM MY RECOLLECTION, UH, UH, OF THE LAST 15 MINUTES OF THE WORKING GROUP DISCUSSION, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS, UH, THAT NOW WE ALREADY COVERED THAT AS WELL. 
          SO YET THAT, I GUESS ONE THING TO MENTION, UH, I HAVE, UH, ACTUALLY RECEIVED A RESPONSE BACK FROM, UH, JEFF TO CU AND, UM, UM, WORKING TOWARDS, UH, CONFIRMING, UH, THEIR AVAILABILITY TO JOIN ANOTHER DISCUSSION, UH, AS WE ALL DISCUSSED DURING THE WORKING GROUP, THE NEXT STEP IN THAT DISCUSSION WAS TO HOPEFULLY INVOLVE JEFF DIRECTLY IN A CONVERSATION WITH JASON, JOHN, MICHAEL. 
          AND JUST TO GO AHEAD AND GET ANY, UH, IN ANY CHALLENGES OR THOUGHTS AROUND, YOU KNOW, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP ENTITIES OR PROCESS, OR WHAT HAVE YOU WORKED OUT SO PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD. 
          UH, THE CHAMPIONS, I WOULD LIKE MY, YOU KNOW, IN, IN LIGHT OF THIS WORKING GROUPS WORK, I'D LIKE TO MAKE ONE PHILOSOPHICAL STATEMENT RELATING TO THE FIRST PRESENTATION FROM MEASURE, UH, AND, UH, AND THE, AND THE, AND THE PRESIDENT OF MEASURE MADE A STATEMENT THAT REALLY STUCK WITH ME. 
          SHE SAID, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT, THAT THIS DIGITAL DIVIDE HAS BEEN HERE IN OUR CITY SINCE THE EARLY NINETIES, IT WAS IDENTIFIED IN THE NINETIES. 
          YOU COULD EVER, IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED EVEN EARLIER, BUT THAT MAKES IT OLD 30 YEARS THAT IT'S BEEN HERE AND NOTHING SEEMS TO CHANGE. 
          AND AS SHE WAS SPEAKING, YOU KNOW, I HAD THIS, THIS, THIS VISION IT'S LIKE, THERE ARE GROUPS OF PEOPLE, ETHNIC GROUPS, UH, UH, AGE GROUPS, ET CETERA, THAT ARE, SEEM TO BE LIKE, LIKE SINKING UNDER THE WATER IN THE DEEP OCEAN. 
          AND WE TOLD THEM A LIFELINE. 
          AND IT'S JUST ABOUT THE TIME WHEN THEY WERE ABOUT TO GRAB THE PLATFORM. 
          THEY THINK A BIG WAVE COMES IN, SWAMPS THEM AGAIN. 
          I MEAN, THERE WAS A DISCUSSION EARLIER, UH, I DON'T KNOW ALREADY, IT WAS ONE OF THESE COMMISSION MEETINGS OR WHETHER IT WAS AT ANOTHER EVENT THAT I WAS AT, WHERE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT PROVIDING SUBSIDIZED FOR G SUPPORT IN THE POORER SECTIONS OF THE CITY AT 25 MEGABITS THAT WAS DEEMED AS A MINIMUM REQUIREMENT AND DOES THIS AND THAT THERE WAS GOING TO BE SOME FUNDING TO SUBSIDIZE ACQUISITION OF SUCH SUPPORT, 25 MEGABITS. 
          I'VE GOT THREE 15, MY HOUSE 5G. 
          WE WERE TALKING FOR GEA 25. 
          THAT'S THE ANALOGY THAT I WAS DRAWING. 
          YOU KNOW, YOU GIVE THEM THIS LIFELINE AND BEFORE THEY CAN GET USED TO THAT, SOMETHING EVEN BIGGER COMES IN, SWAMPS THEM. 
          SO SOME OF OUR OTHER, WE GOT TO GET OUT OF THIS HABIT OF THINKING OF LET'S GIVE THEM MINIMUM, YOU KNOW, SUPPORT. 
          WE NEED TO GET THEM WAY UP TO THE TOP OF THE SERVICE. 
          NOW, GET THEM IN THE FRONT OF THE LINE UNTIL WE DO THAT. 
          WE WILL NEVER GET RID OF THIS LED RED. 
          THEY WILL ALWAYS FALL BEHIND. 
          IT'S LIKE A SAWTOOTH WAVE THAT KEEPS FALLING DOWN HERE, HERE. 
          YEAH. 
          I DEFINITELY HEAR YOU LOUD AND CLEAR. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, TO YOUR POINT WE FOCUS ON IS THE DETAILS, RIGHT? I MEAN, YOU KNOW, KNOWING FOR EXAMPLE, THAT, UH, YOU COULD HAVE SUCH POOR UPLOAD DOWNLOAD SPEEDS IS ONE THING, BUT, YOU KNOW, GETTING INTO THE HOME AND, AND, AND UNDERSTANDING, YOU KNOW, WHAT PARTICULAR STRUCTURAL ISSUES THERE ARE IN CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODS, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTANDING, UH, EVEN AT, UH, AN INFRASTRUCTURE LEVEL, YOU KNOW, WHAT CHALLENGES THERE ARE WITHIN 
          [02:35:01]
THE COMMUNITY, UH, YOU KNOW, TO, TO BANDWIDTH, UH, I'M JUST EXCITED THAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON THIS SO SQUARELY, YOU KNOW, AND THAT THE TRUTH CAN COME TO THE LIGHT. 
          YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S, IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO BASICALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, DO OUR PART TO HELP TO GET THE ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE TOUGH TO ANSWER, UH, AND THEN TO HOPEFULLY PUSH FOR THE CHANGE THAT WE NEED. 
          I THINK WE CAN SEE THAT WE'VE GOT THE SUPPORT OF CTM AND OPERATING IN A COORDINATED, COLLABORATIVE FASHION. 
          UH, THAT'LL CERTAINLY HELP. 
          I THINK, AS WE OPERATE MORE EFFICIENTLY, WE CAN BE MORE STRATEGIC AND FOCUSED ON STRATEGIC OUTCOMES. 
          UH, RIGHT. 
          AND, AND THAT'S WHERE CLEARLY DIGITAL INCLUSION SITS, UH, AMONG OTHERS FOR OUR COMMUNITY HERE IN THE CITY OF BOSTON. 
          DOES ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY THOUGHTS OR, OR, OR, OR, UH, I MEAN, I, I COULDN'T AGREE WITH YOU MORE ABOUT HOW DIFFERENT THINGS FROM THE PRESENTATION REALLY STRUCK ME. 
          I MEAN, FOR ONE THIS TIMELINE, UH, YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND HOW, UH, POLITICALLY SENSITIVE THE NONPROFIT SPACES AND HOW EVEN THIS TIMELINE, UH, CAN RUFFLE SOME FEATHERS FOR SOME PEOPLE, UH, BUT TO BE FRANK, UH, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE HOW THIS TIMELINE BEGINS, UH, WITH, UH, THE STATE OF TEXAS AS A CONFEDERATE STATE. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE HOW, UM, THE POLICIES OF SEGREGATION REFLECT HISTORY AND STRUGGLING WITH, UH, THE ISSUE OF EMANCIPATION AND HOW TO MANAGE HUMAN RIGHTS. 
          YOU KNOW, I, I THINK MY FOCUS ON NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND OBVIOUSLY CENTERS AROUND, YOU KNOW, THE FACT THAT WE'VE GOT A HUGE FOCUS ON INFRASTRUCTURE AND TECHNOLOGY. 
          NOW THAT'S FUNDED, AND CLEARLY THEN THE STAKES ARE HIGH. 
          AND SO KNOWING THEM THAT WE'RE POISED COLLABORATIVELY TO THEN BE ABLE TO RECEIVE THAT KIND OF FUNDING AND THEN TO USE IT SMARTLY TO ME IS ALL THAT MUCH MORE IMPORTANT, BUT I DON'T KNOW, LIKE I SAID, I DON'T WANT TO KEEP US HERE ALL NIGHT OR THINGS. 
          IN FACT, WE'RE GETTING, IT'S GETTING LATE AND I KNOW WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE TIRED, BUT I JUST FIND THIS, UH, THIS TIMELINE. 
          AND, UH, THE, THE VERY POINT THAT HISTORY IS DATA TO BE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO OUR SUCCESS AS A COMMISSION, UH, AND ON ANYTHING RELATED TO DIGITAL INCLUSION. 
          AND NATURALLY SINCE THEN CITY MANAGEMENT AND THE MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY INCLUDES THAT IN OUR, IN OUR, IN OUR SCOPE AND FOCUS, UH, I THINK THE MORE AND MORE WE CAN HAVE DATA IN HISTORY BE AT THE CENTER OF WHAT WE DO THAT THE BETTER OFF WE'LL BE. 
          BUT WITH THAT, 
          [FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
THEN I'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON TO A FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, UNLESS THERE'S ANY OTHER DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THIS WORKING GROUP. 
          OKAY. 
          IN TERMS OF FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, UH, WE HAVE MADE SOME PROGRESS ALREADY. 
          UM, BUT CLEARLY, UH, WE HAVE MORE IN STORE. 
          UH, WE HAVE A WORKING LIST, JESSE, ANYTHING THAT WE KNOW THAT WE WERE LOOKING TO ADD THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO, YES, WE HAVE TWO ITEMS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN QUEUE. 
          UH, PUBLIC WORKS WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT TO THE COMMISSION AT THE NEXT MEETING REGARDING A COMMUNITY OUTREACH, UM, INITIATIVE THAT THEY'RE CURRENTLY UNDERTAKING, UH, THAT INVOLVES DISTRIBUTION, UH, OR ALLOCATION OF FUNDING. 
          UM, SO THAT'LL BE, UH, ONE ITEM THAT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED. 
          UH, ONE ITEM THAT HAS BEEN REQUESTED BY COMMISSIONER THOMPSON AND SUPPORTED BY OTHERS IN THE WORKING GROUP WAS A PRESENTATION FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT ON, UH, CITY EFFORTS TO, UH, WORK WITH PRIVATE SECTOR COMPANIES THAT ARE COMING INTO TOWN TO NEGOTIATE A COMMUNITY BENEFIT. 
          UH, SO THAT'S A QUESTION THAT WE HAVE POSED TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, UH, AND, UH, IS LIKELY 
          [02:40:01]
BUT NOT FULLY CONFIRMED FOR THE NEXT AGENDA AS WELL. 
          OKAY. 
          AND I KNOW WE HAVE ALSO, UM, A, ANOTHER DATA RELATED PRESENTATION OF THAT. 
          LET ME SEE HERE, WE ARE SCHEDULED TO HAVE THE G TOPS RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, AS WELL FOR THE APRIL MEETING AND WE'LL NEED TO ALSO DO ELECTION OF OFFICERS. 
          OKAY. 
          THERE WAS ONE MORE, UH, RELATED TO DATA, AND RIGHT NOW I'M DRAWING A BLANK. 
          IT IS, IT IS GETTING LATE. 
          UM, BUT WE'LL GO AHEAD AND, UH, AND LEAVE IT AT THAT BECAUSE, UH, I, I'VE COMMITTED TO TRYING TO GET EVERYONE OUT OF HERE BY NINE 30 AT THE LATEST. 
          UM, AND SO WE DON'T HAVE MUCH MORE TIME CHECKING MY EMAIL HERE. 
          OKAY. 
          HERE WE GO. 
          GOT IT. 
          UM, THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE, EVERYBODY. 
          OKAY. 
          YES. 
          THERE'S LIKELY TO BE A PRESENTATION IN APRIL FROM THE HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT, RIGHT. 
          AND THEY WANT TO COME AND ENGAGE WITH US IN THE WORKING GROUP SESSION FIRST AND THEN, UH, ALSO IN THE COMMISSION FORMAT. 
          SO I THINK WE SHOULD LOOK AT THAT. 
          UH, IN FACT, THIS IS GOING TO FOCUS ON THEY'RE THEY'RE GATHERING FEEDBACK AND COMMUNITY NEEDS AS PART OF A PLANNING PROCESS FOR THE FYI 2023 ACTION PLAN. 
          THE ACTION PLAN IS THE APPLICATION. 
          THE CITY SUBMITS TO THE FEDERAL HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT TO RECEIVE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GRANTS. 
          THE TYPICALLY TOTAL UP TO 13 MILLION PER YEAR. 
          AND SO THEY'RE ONE TO CONSULT WITH VARIOUS COMMISSIONS AND AGENCIES TO GATHER FEEDBACK. 
          AND SO NATURALLY WE'RE GOING TO BE PROVIDING SOME FEEDBACK. 
          SO WE'LL GET A CHANCE TO DO ENGAGE AGAIN AT THE WORKING GROUP LEVEL, AND THEN ALSO THE COMMISSION MEETING. 
          SO THAT'LL BE ON THE FEATURE GEN AS WELL, AND APOLOGIES CHAIR PEDS AT THAT WAS, THAT WAS INTENDED TO BE THE FIRST ITEM. 
          AND I TOTALLY SAID THE WRONG DEPARTMENT. 
          SO DON'T EXPECT A PRESENTATION FROM PUBLIC WORKS. 
          OKAY. 
          FAIR ENOUGH. 
          FAIR ENOUGH. 
          IT'S LATE. 
          IT'S LATE. 
          OKAY. 
          WOULD THAT, THEN THAT TAKES CARE OF FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. SO I THINK, UNLESS THERE'S ANY OTHER THOUGHTS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO EMAIL. 
          UH, AND THEN WE CAN DISCUSS THE COURSE IN THE WORKING GROUP SESSIONS. 
          ANY OF THOSE THOUGHTS WITH THAT? THEN WE PROCEED IN OUR AGENDA TO THE FINAL ITEM. 
          GENTLEMAN, DO YOU HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? I MOVE THROUGH ONE ADJOURN. 
          IS THERE A SECOND? I SECOND THAT MOTION THAT THEY WERE ALL HALF ASLEEP HERE. 
          SO WITH THAT ALL IN FAVOR OF A GERMAN, PLEASE SAY, AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          IS THERE ANYONE OPPOSED? OKAY. 
          WE ARE ADJOURNED UNANIMOUSLY. 
          THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND FOR, FOR, UH, DOWN IN, UH, MAYBE I'LL GET TO SEE YOU ALL IN PERSON, UH, NEXT MONTH, UH, EITHER WAY. 
          I APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE AND I LOOK FORWARD TO YOU ALL IN THE WORKING GROUPS, UH, ENGAGING THERE. 
          EXCELLENT MEETING. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THANKS A LOT, EVERYBODY. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          HAVE A GOOD EVENING. 
          COWBOYS COWBOYS. 
          .
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.