Sep 14, 2022 Community Technology & Telecommunications Commission

[CALL TO ORDER ]

[00:00:04]

MY NAME IS NEHEMIAH PIT III.

I'M CALLING TO ORDER THE COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION MEETING REGULARLY SCHEDULED HERE WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER THE 14TH, 2022.

WE'RE HERE AT THE CITY HALL BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ROOM 1101, UH, DOWNTOWN AUSTIN, 3 0 1 WEST SECOND STREET, AUSTIN, TEXAS.

SOME OF THE COMMISSION, UH, MEMBERS FROM THE COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION MAY BE PARTICIPATING BY VIDEO CONFERENCE AND, UH, THEY'LL ANNOUNCE THEMSELVES AS PART OF THE, THE ROLL CALL.

UH, WE BEGAN, UH, WITH THAT ROLL CALL.

SO AS I MENTIONED, MY NAME IS NEHEMIAH PITTS AND I'VE BEEN APPOINTED FROM DISTRICT ONE.

AND I'LL GO AHEAD AND IDENTIFY, UH, IN THE ROOM HERE OR VICE CHAIR.

UH, STEVEN APODACA REPRESENTING DISTRICT TWO IS PRESENT.

AND IF I COULD GO AHEAD AND, AND SEND IT ONLINE TO COMMISSIONER GARZA, COMMISSIONER, CHRISTINA GARZA, DISTRICT FOUR, PRESENT, UH, YES.

AND COMMISSIONER FLOYD.

THIS IS DAVE FLOYD DISTRICT FIVE.

I'M HERE AND COMMISSIONER DOTA, UH, SAMANTHA DOTA FROM DISTRICT 10 AND COMMISSIONER THOMPSON WEAVES.

HI, THIS IS NICOLE THOMPSON WITH DISTRICT NINE.

EXCUSE ME, THOMPSON.

UH, GREAT.

WELL WITH THAT THEN, UH, WE ARE CALLED TO ORDER AND WE'LL BEGIN BY CONFIRMING IF THERE'S ANY PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.

AND AT THIS TIME WE HAVE NO ONE SIGNED UP, SO WE'LL GO

[1. Approve the minutes of the Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission Regular meeting on July 13, 2022 ]

UH, WE ALL HAVE EITHER A COPY IN THE MEETING, INVITATION CALENDAR, HOLD ON OUTLOOK OR A PHYSICAL COPY IN FRONT OF US.

AFTER A BRIEF REVIEW, I LOOK FOR A MOTION TO APPROVE IN A SECOND COMMISSIONER.

IT NOT LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT ARE ACCEPTED AS, UM, AS PRESENTED PLEASE.

OKAY.

WE HAVE A MOTION, UH, TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS PRESENTED BY COMMISSIONER THOMPSON.

SECOND, I WILL SECOND.

AND, UH, WE HAD A SECOND IN THE ROOM BY, UH, VICE CHAIR, APA DACA.

UH, SO WITH THAT THEN CAN HOLD A VOTE ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MINUTES THAT'S PRESENTED, PLEASE SAY AYE, AND SHOW YOUR HAND.

AYE.

AYE.

AYE.

AYE.

ANYONE OPPOSED? OKAY.

THEN THE MOVE THE MINUTES ARE, AND NO ONE'S UPSTANDING.

UH, THE MINUTES ARE APPROVED IN FAVOR SIX, ZERO IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.

UM, I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO, UM, APPROVE THE MINUTES.

THIS IS MALCOLM YATES.

OKAY, GREAT.

WE'VE JUST BEEN JOINED BY COMMISSION YATES.

IF WE COULD JUST SEE YOUR, YOUR FACE AND WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADD YOU TO THE, TO THE VOTE COUNT FOR THESE MINUTES.

OKAY.

CAN YOU SEE ME NOW? I CAN.

THANK YOU.

COMMISSION YATES.

UH, SO COMMISSION YATES HAS ALSO VOTED, SO THAT MAKES OUR VOTE SEVEN, UH, IN THE AFFIRMATIVE ZERO, UH, ZERO NEGATIVE AND ZERO ABSTAINING.

SO

[2. Motion Media Arts Center (Austin School of Film + Austin Cinemaker Space) ~ Faiza Kracheni, Co-Executive Director & East Austin Native ]

UH, WE'RE JOINED BY SPECIAL GUESTS HERE, UH, AND I WANNA APOLOGIZE BECAUSE ALL OF OUR GUESTS ARE NOT LISTED, UH, BUT WE DO HAVE OTHERS IN THE ROOM.

SO I'LL ALLOW YOU A CHANCE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELVES, UH, MOTION MEDIA ART CENTER IN THE AUSTIN FILM, SCHOOL OF FILM AND AUSTIN CINEMA MAKER SPACE, UH, FAA, CARI, CHENEY, UH, THE CO THE CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND EAST AUSTIN NATIVE, PLEASE COME ON UP.

AND ANYONE ELSE THAT YOU'D LIKE, YOU'D LIKE, THEY'RE WELCOME TO JOIN YOU TOO.

OKAY, GREAT.

OKAY.

SO IN THAT CASE WE DO JUST HAVE ONE SPEAKER.

PARDON ME? HELLO? OKAY, AWESOME.

HELLO, THANK YOU ALL FOR HAVING ME HERE TODAY.

UM, I PUT TOGETHER A SLIDESHOW FOR TODAY JUST AS KIND OF A COMMUNITY UPDATE FROM OUR ORGANIZATION.

SO AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE SCREEN MOTION,

[00:05:01]

WE PROVIDE EDUCATION, WORKSPACES, FILM, VIDEO, AND STUDIOS, AND AT ALL AGES ARTS VENUE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MYSELF, UM, AND WHY I WAS SELF DESCRIBED AS AN EAST AUSTIN NATIVE IS I DO FEEL THAT IT'S VITAL TO OUR MISSION.

PUTTING ARTISTS SPECIFICALLY ARTISTS THAT ARE FROM HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED, UH, SECTORS OF AUSTIN, UM, IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS.

SO THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT MOTION MEDIA ART CENTER HAS DONE.

I'VE BEEN A DIRECTOR OF THE ORGANIZATION FOR THE PAST DECADE AND I HAVE BEEN THE CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE PAST YEAR.

UM, AND SO, YEAH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

UM, SO THIS IS A TIMELINE OF OUR ORGANIZATION, UM, FROM INCEPTION TO PRESENT DAY.

I DO WANNA NOTE THAT MOTION MEDIA ART CENTER WAS STARTED BY THE MERGING OF TWO EXISTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE IN THE, IN THE AUSTIN AREA.

AND THE NINETIES ONE WAS CALLED CENTER FOR YOUNG CINEMA, WHICH WAS THE FIRST YEAR ROUND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION FOR THOSE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 AKA YOUTH AND AUSTIN CINEMA MAKER CO-OP, WHICH WAS A COLLECTIVE OF ARTISTS THAT HAD, UM, SOME REALLY GREAT NOTABLE NAMES, UM, THAT WENT ON TO HAVE VERY FRUITFUL CAREERS.

UM, SO IN 2002, THEY ACTUALLY MERGED BECAUSE THEY WERE BOTH KIND OF SERVING THESE DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHICS.

ONE WAS SERVING YOUTH, THE OTHER WAS SERVING ADULT AND THEY CREATED MOTION MEDIA ART CENTER.

UM, SO THEY OPENED ITS DOORS IN AUSTIN, IN EAST AUSTIN, PREMIERING AUSTIN'S VERY FIRST MEDIA ART CENTER THAT WAS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

AND THAT ALSO SERVED ALL AGES.

IN 2004, WE ACTUALLY CHANGED OUR NAME FROM MOTION MEDIA ARTS CENTER TO DO A DBA OF AUSTIN SCHOOL OF FILM BECAUSE FOLKS DIDN'T REALLY REALIZE WHAT MEDIA ARTS MEANT.

IT WAS STILL A VERY NEW TERM TO THE COMMUNITY.

SO WE WANTED TO MAKE IT MORE ACCESSIBLE AND USE MORE ACCESSIBLE LANGUAGE TO THE PUBLIC.

UM, SO IT WAS IN THE VERY ROOT OF AUSTIN.

SCHOOL OF FILM IS IT'S A YEAR ROUND CREW COMMUNITY FILM PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES EDUCATION FOR ALL AGES AND IT'S OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS ANYONE THAT'S INTERESTED IN LEARNING FILM, CREATIVE MEDIA, SOFTWARE TRAINING, AND SO FORTH CAN COME TO AUSTIN SCHOOL OF FILM.

AND WE HAVE BEEN DOING THAT SINCE 2002, BUT FORMALLY AS AUSTIN SCHOOL OF FILM IN 2004, IN 2014, WHICH IS KIND OF A YEAR OR SO INTO, UM, MY JOURNEY WITH THE ORGANIZATION.

I BEGAN BETA TESTING, A PROGRAM THAT IS NOW CALLED AUSTIN CINEMA MAKER SPACE.

SO NOW THAT YOU HAVE SOME CONTEXT TO AUSTIN CENT MAKER, CO-OP, THAT'S WHERE AUSTIN CINEMA MAKER SPACE GETS ITS NAME FROM.

AND, UM, TO PUT IT SIMPLY, IT'S AN AFFORDABLE WORKSPACE AND STUDIO PROGRAM, BUT WE ALSO OPERATE AN ARTS VENUE AND ALL OF THESE, UM, PROGRAMS ARE ACTUALLY HOUSED, UM, IN A BUILDING THAT WE COMPLETELY RENOVATED.

IT'S AN EAST AUSTIN AT 2200 TILLERY STREET.

IT WAS AN OLD SCREEN PRINTING WAREHOUSE.

UM, WE SELF-FUNDED ALL OF THE FUNDS TO, UM, COMPLETELY REHAUL THE BUILDING, UM, CHANGE THE ZONING, ALL OF THOSE THINGS TO LAUNCH, UM, THIS NEW PROGRAM, AUSTIN CINEMA MAKER SPACE.

AND THE IDEA WAS HAVING BOTH OF THESE PROGRAMS COEXIST IN THE SAME SPACE, SO THAT YOU HAD EMERGING TALENT AND ESTABLISHED TALENT IN ONE SPACE TOGETHER COEXISTING.

SO ORGANIC COMMUNITY IMPACTS WILL HAPPEN, BUT ALSO STUDENTS CAN SEE TALENT, UM, AND PROFESSIONALS WORKING.

AND THEN THOSE PROFESSIONALS CAN SEE EMERGING TALENT AND BRING THEM ON FOR, YOU KNOW, MORE ORGANIC, UM, NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES.

WE DO OBVIOUSLY DO FORMAL NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES, BUT THIS HAS BEEN REALLY HELPFUL FOR OUR STUDENTS TO SEE PEOPLE THAT ARE LOCAL IN THE COMMUNITY THAT WORK IN THE INDUSTRY QUITE LITERALLY WORKING.

UM, SO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO THIS IS JUST OUR MISSION, UM, AND I'VE, YOU KNOW, SAID THIS IN OTHER WORDS, WHEN I'VE BEEN TALKING, BUT IF YOU'RE CURIOUS WHAT OUR MISSION IS, AND THE SECOND PART THAT'S IN BOLD IS SOMETHING THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO US, WHICH IS CREATING OPPORTUNITIES AND COMMUNITY THROUGH BREAKING BARRIERS AND BORDERS, UM, WITHIN THE ARTS, WHICH VERY SIMPLY PUT MEANS PROVIDING A SPACE THAT IS TRULY ACCESSIBLE USING ACCESSIBLE LANGUAGE, HAVING INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS, AND THEN ALSO IT BEING AN ARTIST CONTROLLED ARTIST-LED ORGANIZATION.

SO THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TEACHING, WE'RE ALSO DOING OUTSIDE OF OUR WORK AT THE ORGANIZATION.

SO I, MYSELF, I'M A MUSICIAN, I'M A FILMMAKER AND I'M AN EDUCATOR AS WELL AS WHAT I DO AT THE NONPROFIT.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

UM, SO THIS IS GONNA KIND OF GO INTO WHAT OUR PROGRAMS ARE.

UM, BUT I DO ALSO WANNA KNOW THAT, UM, THESE PROGRAMS AND SPECIFICALLY AUSTIN'S CINEMA MAKER SPACE AS WELL, WAS A DIRECT RESPONSE TO THE ONGOING CRISIS

[00:10:01]

YES, BUT ALSO IN CREATIVE SPACE, CREATIVE, FLEXIBLE SPACE.

THERE ARE A LOT OF REALLY GREAT ORGANIZATIONS, UM, THAT DO REALLY GREAT WORK IN THE AUSTIN AREA.

UM, BUT MOST OF THEM ARE ON SCOPE.

SO, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE PARTICULAR TO A VERY SPECIFIC CRAFT WITHIN THE ARTS OR CREATIVE INDUSTRIES WHERE WE DO THINGS ON A SCALE.

SO WE'RE NOT JUST TEACHING FILM, WE'RE TEACHING CREATIVE MEDIA, WE'RE TEACHING SOFTWARE TRAINING.

WE WORK WITH THEATER GROUPS, DANCERS, NONPROFITS, UM, THAT ARE ALSO JUST NOT IN THE ARTS, BUT CREATIVE MEDIA IS A PART OF EVERY SINGLE INDUSTRY NOW.

SO WE NEED FLEXIBLE SPACE.

THAT'S GOING TO CATER TO DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES.

IF THAT MAKES SENSE.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO THE PROGRAMS, SORRY, NEXT SLIDE.

SO AUSTIN SCHOOL OF FILM, I'VE KIND OF ALREADY SAID THIS, BUT I'LL JUST REITERATE, UM, WE'RE AN AWARD-WINNING EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION IN EAST AUSTIN SINCE 2002.

WE'VE PROVIDED CLASSES, WORKSHOPS, YOUTH EDUCATION, AND LEARNING PROGRAMS AND ART FILM AND CREATIVE NE TECHNOLOGY.

FOR ALL AGES.

WE HAVE AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 5,005,000 STUDENTS PER YEAR THAT WE SERVED THROUGH THESE PROGRAMS. NEXT SLIDE.

AND SO THIS IS A BREAKDOWN OF KIND OF WHAT THIS PROGRAM INCLUDES.

SO WE HAVE CLASSES, WE HAVE A CERTIFICATE PROGRAM FOR ADULTS AND FILM PRODUCTION, EDITING, GRAPHIC DESIGN, AUDIO ANIMATION, ANALOG FILMMAKING, SPECIAL EFFECTS MAKEUP.

WE ALSO HAVE YEAR, YEAR ROUND PROGRAMMING FOR, UM, YOUTH IN THOSE SAME AREAS.

WE ALSO LAUNCHED A FREE ANNUAL THREE MONTH FILM PRODUCTION INTENSIVE FOR ADULT EMERGING FILMMAKERS TO KIND OF GET THEM TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

AND WE ALSO OFFER CERTIFIED TRAINING.

SO THERE ARE SOME FOR-PROFIT COUNTERPARTS THAT ARE IN AUSTIN, WHERE THEIR CERTIFIED TRAINING IS UPWARDS TO 1200 TO $1,500.

UM, STUDENTS CAN COME AND GET CERTIFIED TRAINING AND CERTIFICATES AT AUSTIN SCHOOL OF FILM FOR LITERALLY LESS THAN 10% OF THAT.

UM, AND WE ALSO PARTNER WITH AREA ORGANIZATIONS.

SO ALL OF THESE ARE CURRENT ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE'RE PARTNERING WITH.

SO L ONE SAMARIO, UM, WE DO A YEAR ROUND, UH, YOUTH MEDIA PROJECT WHERE WE ACTUALLY LEARN A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT AREAS IN MEDIA ARTS, FROM PHOTOGRAPHY, AUDIO, STORYTELLING, FILMMAKING, UM, SPECIAL EFFECTS MAKEUP.

WE HAVE A SCARY FILMMAKING WORKSHOP NEXT MONTH, UH, SAFE, UM, IS A NEW PARTNERSHIP AS WELL.

UM, WE WORKED WITH THEIR TEEN STUDENTS THIS SUMMER CREATIVE ACTION, HEADWATERS AND LAGUNA GLORIA ACTUALLY SUNDAY IS MUSEUM DAY, AND WE WILL BE WORKING WITH LAGUNA, GLORIA AND THE CONTEMPORARY ON SOME SPECIAL PROGRAMMING.

SO ALL OF THESE, UM, PARTNERSHIPS ARE CENTERED IN EDUCATION SPECIFICALLY WITHIN FILM AND CREATIVE MEDIA.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO THESE ARE JUST SOME PICTURES.

THIS IS A DIGITAL FILMMAKING CLASS.

THIS IS AN EIGHT WEEK CLASS FOR ADULTS.

NEXT SLIDE.

THIS IS A SPECIAL EFFECTS MAKEUP CLASS.

NEXT SLIDE.

THESE ARE SOME CURRENT CLASSES.

I'M SURE YOU CAN SEE IT'S VERY TIMELY.

THEY HAVE MASKS ON NEXT SLIDE.

UM, SO TO THE LEFT, WE HAVE ONE OF OUR SUMMER CAMPS AND TO THE RIGHT, THIS IS, UM, ONE COHORT FROM EL ONE NEXT SLIDE.

AND THEN THIS PHOTO IS ACTUALLY TAKEN ON MONDAY AND I INCLUDED IT IN HERE.

SO THIS IS OUR, UH, NEW COHORT FOR DIGITAL FILMMAKING, THE EIGHT WEEK CLASS.

AND SO THE REASON I INCLUDED THESE PHOTOS IS THAT SO YOU CAN SEE THE DIVERSITY AND AGES OF THE STUDENTS THAT ARE TAKING CLASSES HERE.

THAT'S ONE HESITANCY.

I FEEL THAT PEOPLE HAVE, AS THEY THINK, IF THEY'RE GOING TO AN ENTRY LEVEL CLASS, THEY'RE GOING TO BE WITH PEOPLE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 24.

BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, THOSE AGE BRACKETS ARE VERY VAST, WHICH IS REALLY COOL AND A VERY BEAUTIFUL THING.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO THIS IS AUSTIN CENTER MAKER SPACE.

SO THIS IS OUR NEWEST PROGRAM.

AND I SAY NEW IT'S BEEN AROUND FOR SEVEN YEARS.

UM, IT'S A, LOWCOST FREE PUBLIC WORKSPACE AND STUDIO PROGRAM.

UM, WE PROVIDE EITHER MONTHLY OR DROP, UM, LIKE DROP IN ACCESS TO EQUIPMENT, RESOURCES, VIDEO, AND PHOTO STUDIO, PUBLIC EVENTS.

AND WE ALSO RUN AN ALL AGES ARTS VENUE.

IT'S DESIGNED AS A HYBRID.

SO THE SPACE IS THE SPACE, BUT YOU HAVE STUDIOS THAT ARE CLASSROOM HYBRIDS.

SO IF YOU'RE TAKING A CAMERA WORKSHOP, IT'S GOING TO MEET A STUDIO ON THE NEXT DAY OR THE NEXT HOUR, SOMEONE MAY BE SHOOTING A MUSIC VIDEO OR DOING A PHOTO SHOOT, HAVING A TABLE READ OR HAVING A REHEARSAL.

AND SO THE PURPOSE OF THAT IS TO MAXIMIZE THE SPACE, OF COURSE, BECAUSE THE AFFORDABILITY AND THE COMMERCIAL SECTOR IN AUSTIN IS JUST AS DIRE AS THE RESIDENTIAL.

BUT ON TOP OF THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY, SEEING HOW YOU CAN UTILIZE RESOURCES THAT YOU HAVE BY CREATING THEM FOR PEOPLE, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.

UM, SO IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, IT SHOWS KIND OF WHAT WE DO.

SO, UM, AGAIN, THE LOW COST MEMBERSHIPS, WE ALSO HAVE 37 LOCAL SPONSORED ARTISTS AND SMALL BUSINESSES THAT HAVE FREE ACCESS TO OUR

[00:15:01]

WE HAVE A DIFFERENT LOCAL RESIDENCY PROGRAM CALLED ARTIS IN MOTION THAT PROVIDES A PLATFORM FOR ARTISTS WHO HAVE NEVER EXHIBITED WORK, THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY, UM, QUOTE UNQUOTE, LIKE MUSEUM OR GALLERY WORTHY, UM, MEANING THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF SYSTEMIC AND RACIAL BIASES ON HOW PEOPLE CREATE ART.

SO CREATING PATHWAYS FOR STUDENTS, SORRY FOR ARTISTS THAT WOULDN'T TRADITIONALLY GET THE CHANCE TO BE IN A GALLERY BECAUSE MAYBE THEIR WORK IS, ARE PUSHING THE BOUNDARY.

UM, THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE.

AND IT'S ALSO, UM, PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON PAC ARTISTS, UM, IN THE AUSTIN AREA, WE ALSO PROVIDE ACCESS TO FOUR STUDIO SPACES, RANGING AND SIZES THAT COME WITH EQUIPMENT, ACCESSORIES AND ESSENTIALS, AND THEN OUR 4,300 SQUARE FOOT VENUE WORKSPACE HYBRID.

AND THEN OF COURSE, WE PARTNER WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES TO PRODUCE FREE PUBLIC EVENTS YEAR ROUND.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO THESE ARE SOME PICTURES.

SO THESE ARE WHERE OUR CLASSES HAPPEN FOR AUSTIN SCHOOL FILM, BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, THEY CAN ALSO BE USED AS STUDIOS.

SO WE HAVE A MUSIC VIDEO SHOOT.

UM, AND THEN WE HAVE AN ORGANIZATION CALLED TRANS TEXAS.

THAT'S DOING AN INTERVIEW SERIES ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

UM, SO THIS IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SHOOTS.

SO WE HAVE LADY EARTH, WHO'S A LOCAL RAPPER THAT SHOT A MUSIC VIDEO WITH US IN OUR BLACK BOX.

AND THEN WE HAVE A VINTAGE SHOP THAT WAS SHOOTING SOME OF THEIR CLOTHING.

SO AS YOU CAN SEE, SMALL BUSINESSES ALSO CAN UTILIZE THESE SPACES.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO NOW WE HAVE, UM, A, A LOCAL NONPROFIT DIRECTOR WHO RUNS DANCE, AFRICA FEST AND NIA DRUM AND DANCE, WHO HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF AUSTIN CINEMA MAKER SPACE FOR MANY YEARS NOW DOING AN INTERVIEW IN OUR CO-WORKING SLASH VENUE SPACE.

AND THEN ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, WE HAVE A PHOTO SHOOT THAT'S HAPPENING, NEXT SLIDE.

SO THIS IS THE SPACE.

I JUST WANNA KIND OF PAINT A PICTURE FOR Y'ALL BECAUSE I'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT WHAT THIS SPACE IS AND KIND OF SHOWN YOU AN ACTION, BUT HERE IS WHAT THE SPACE LOOKS LIKE.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO THIS IS WHERE IT IS.

AND THIS, I THINK THIS GOOGLE, UM, EARTH IS A LITTLE OLD, SO THERE MIGHT BE SOME BUILDINGS THAT ARE NEW, THAT AREN'T ON HERE.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO THIS IS THE FLOOR PLAN OF OUR CURRENT AREA.

SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEE HOW IT'S LAID OUT.

UM, SO THE STUDIOS KIND OF SURROUND THIS OPEN VENUE SPACE AND THAT WAS, UM, PURPOSEFULLY KIND OF BUILT IN THAT WAY.

IT WAS REALLY A SHELL OF A BUILDING BEFORE WE GOT IT.

NEXT SLIDE.

AND THEN HERE ARE SOME EVENTS HAPPENING IN THIS SPACE.

SO THIS IS AN IMMERS IMMERSIVE DIGITAL ARTS EXHIBITION.

AND THEN THIS IS A PERFORMANCE BY FRANK WOMAN.

NEXT SLIDE.

THIS IS THE VENUE SPACE.

THIS IS ANOTHER TYPE OF EVENT CALLED EXPLODED DRAWING.

NEXT SLIDE.

THIS IS A FASHION SHOW.

NEXT SLIDE.

THIS IS MAMA DUKE, WHO WAS JUST ON THE COVER OF THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE AND THEY SHOT THE COVER, THE COVER AT AUSTINSON MAKERSPACE.

UM, AND THEN ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, WE HAVE A FILM SHOOT WITH A REALLY COOL DISCO BALL, NEXT SLIDE.

SO THESE ARE THE SAME AREAS, BUT WITH CLASSES SO THAT YOU CAN KIND OF SEE HOW THEY CAN TRANSFORM.

SO WE HAVE A CAMERA WORKSHOP AND THEN WE HAVE THE L BLEND STUDENTS IN THE GALLERY VENUE SPACE.

NEXT SLIDE.

WE HAVE THE BTS OF LADY EARTH IN THE BLACK BOX, AND THEN THE BTS OF TC SUPERSTAR, WHICH IS A LOCAL BAND THAT ALSO SHOT WITH US NEXT SLIDE, UM, SPECIAL EFFECTS MAKEUP, AND A YOUTH MEDIA WORKSHOP, SAME EXACT ROOMS THAT YOU'RE SEEING THOSE MUSIC VIDEO SHOT, NEXT SLIDE.

AND THAT'S IT.

UM, SO I WANTED TO COME HERE TO TALK WITH Y'ALL BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY A LOT HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE PANDEMIC HIT AND, UM, A LOT OF THINGS HAVE CHANGED IN AUSTIN AND THE GLOBE.

AND SO I WANTED TO, UM, COME HERE AND SPEAK AND KIND OF GIVE YOU THE VELOCITY OF THINGS THAT I ALWAYS SAY THAT WORD WRONG, SORRY, OF THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING AT MOTION MEDIA ART CENTER, UM, AT THE VERY LEAST TO JUST MAKE YOU AWARE OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING, BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, IF ANYONE IS WATCHING OUT THERE AND INSPIRED BY THESE THINGS, KNOWING THAT THERE'S A SPACE THAT IS ACCESSIBLE, THAT THEY CAN EITHER LEARN, WORK, CREATE COLLABORATE, OR EVEN JUST CONSUME THE ARTS COME TO AN EVENT.

UM, SO THANK YOU.

OH, NO, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION AND FOR ALL THAT YOU'RE DOING, UH, FOR YOUR TENURED PRESENCE IN THE COMMUNITY, UH WE'VE AS A COMMISSION, UH, BEEN HONORED TO STEWARD THE GRANT FOR TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM AND HAVE BEEN DELIGHTED TO WORK WITH YOU, UH, AS A RECIPIENT OF THAT OVER THE YEARS, AND SEEING SOME OF THE PROGRAMS IN THE SLIDES OF COURSE, IS, IS ALSO REASSURING.

I KNOW I'VE GOT A FEW OTHER QUESTIONS.

UH, I'D LIKE TO, IF I COULD, UH, BEGIN BY ASKING FRANKLY, UH, I'M THINKING OF A FEW DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY PLANNING AS A COMMISSION WHERE COLLABORATION WOULD REALLY MAKE SENSE,

[00:20:01]

UH, YOU, YOU MAY ACTUALLY HAVE SOME THINGS IN MIND ALREADY.

UH, I'D LIKE TO KIND BASICALLY GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO SPEAK TO HOW AS A COMMISSION, WE CAN BETTER SUPPORT THE MOTION MEDIA ARTS CENTER AND, AND ALL THAT YOU'RE DOING IN YOUR PROGRAMS BEYOND OF COURSE, G TOPS AND THINGS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING.

YEAH.

WHOA, I'M NOT SURE HOW TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, BUT I KNOW THAT WE ALWAYS NEED HELP IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

UM, THE MAIN THING, I THINK THAT BOS US DOWN AS A COMMUNITY, UM, AND I'M JUST GONNA BE VERY, UM, FRANK WITH THIS IS OUR RENT AT OUR FACILITY CONTINUES TO RISE.

AND RIGHT NOW WE ARE PAYING $22,000 A MONTH, $22,000 A MONTH.

AND DURING THE PANDEMIC, UM, NONE OF OUR RENT WAS FORGIVEN.

WE HAD TO PAY ALL OF IT BACK TO OUR LANDLORD.

AND SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OVER $200,000 A YEAR THAT COULD BE IN REINVESTED INTO THE COMMUNITY, REINVESTED INTO JOBS THAT IS LITERALLY JUST GOING TO PAY RENT.

UM, WE TOOK THIS BUILDING THAT WAS ABANDONED.

IT WAS QUITE LITERALLY ABANDONED AND WE REDEVELOPED IT.

WE SPENT ABOUT $500,000 ON THE INITIAL BUILD OUT AND TO DATE, WE'VE PROBABLY PUT CLOSE TO A MILLION DOLLARS INTO IT.

AND OUR LEASE IS ACTUALLY EXPIRING.

WE HAD A 10 YEAR LEASE, SO IT'S ACTUALLY EXPIRING IN 2025.

SO AT THAT POINT, OUR LEASE WILL GO TO MARKET RATE WHO KNOWS WHAT MARKET RATE IS GOING TO BE AT THAT POINT.

SO I THINK THAT'S THE NUMBER ONE THING IS WE'VE KIND OF BUILT A LOT WITH HAVING VERY LITTLE, UM, WHICH IS SOMETHING I'M REALLY PROUD OF.

UM, AND THE PROGRAMS ARE SUCCESSFUL, BUT OBVIOUSLY WE CAN'T KEEP UP WITH THESE MARKET RATES.

UM, THEY'RE SKYROCKETING.

SO ANY ASSISTANCE ON WHAT THAT COULD LOOK LIKE IN ANY TYPE OF WAY, UM, WE JUST NEED GUIDANCE AND KEEPING THESE PROGRAMS ALIVE AND KEEPING THE WORK, YOU KNOW, THAT I'VE DONE FOR EAST AUSTIN.

I JUST WANNA SAY BECAUSE I AM FROM EAST AUSTIN.

SO I AM REALLY, UH, PERSONALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS, UM, KEEPING IT THERE FOR THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE I SEE THE IMPACT THAT IT HAS ON PEOPLE, NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, YOUTH, WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT, BUT THE ADULTS THAT ARE COMING AND HAVING ACCESS TO TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND PEOPLE WITH NO JUDGMENT.

UM, SO I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY THE HIGHEST PRIORITY THING ON OUR LIST, BUT I'M SURE THERE ARE OTHER THINGS AS WELL.

I KNOW, THANK YOU FOR THAT.

UH, CAUSE THAT IS AN IMPORTANT PRIORITY.

UH, FA I MEAN, I, WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE THINGS THAT HAD IN MIND AND THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING AT, AT THE COMMISSION LEVEL, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON TRYING TO GIVE COMMUNITY MEMBERS A CHANCE TO SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES AND TO, UH, REALLY DIRECTLY CONNECT WITH THEM IN THAT CHAIR EXPERIENCE.

UH, WE'VE HOSTED A VARIETY OF TOWN HALLS FOCUSED ON THIS COLLABORATING CURRENTLY WITH THE AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY AND LIBRARY COMMISSION TO DO THAT.

UH, WE'RE ALSO, UH, EXPANDING THAT FOCUS TO INCLUDE THE COUNTY AND FRANKLY, UH, HAVE BEEN IDEATING ON MORE AND MORE SPACES WHERE THOSE CONVENINGS AND THOSE CONNECTIONS CAN HAPPEN.

UH, AND, UH, I COULDN'T THINK OF, UH, A BETTER SPACE THAN THE ONE THAT YOU HAVE THERE, ESPECIALLY ONE THAT SUITED TO NOT JUST CONVENE, BUT ALSO CAPTURE AND TO REDISTRIBUTE THAT LIVED EXPERIENCE SHARING IN A WAY, UH, IN FACT, UH, YOU ALL HAVE BEEN GREAT PARTNERS IN OUR EXERCISE AT THE LIBRARIES AND CAPTURING THAT CONTENT.

AND THEN, YOU KNOW, NATURALLY THEN I CAN IMAGINE YOU BEING A WONDERFUL HOST FOR THOSE SAME TYPES OF CONVERSATIONS.

SO ALTHOUGH WE'RE GONNA HAVE A CHANCE TO TALK ABOUT IT MORE, UH, IN THE SUBSTANTIVE PART OF OUR MEETING, I JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT OUT THERE AND TO EXTEND THE INVITATION, TO JOIN US AT A WORKING GROUP DISCUSSION, TO IDEATE ON WAYS TO ENGAGE IN THAT CONVERSATION AND, AND, AND TO LIFT UP WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND ALSO ELEVATE THE VOICES OF THE COMMUNITY.

YEAH, I WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE THAT.

ABSOLUTELY.

AWESOME.

WELL, WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO OPEN IT UP TO OTHER QUESTIONS AND OTHER COMMENTS I'VE GOT, UH, NOD HERE FROM VICE CHAIR, DACA.

THANK YOU SO MUCH VISA.

UM, YOU KNOW, AND JUST LOOKING AT THE PICTURES, IT LOOKS LIKE SUCH A FUN DYNAMIC SPACE.

I HOPE YOU'LL INVITE US TO TOUR THE FACILITY AT SOME POINT.

OH YEAH.

UM, IF, IF THAT'S, IF THAT'S AN OPTION OR AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US, UM, I DID HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU.

JUST CURIOUS, UM, WONDERING WHAT MARKETING OR ADVERTISEMENT, UH, STRATEGY YOU CAN SPEAK TO FOR THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, OPPORTUNITIES, UM, THAT, THAT YOU HAVE GOING ON AT THE CENTER.

YEAH, SO I BELIEVE THAT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE ALL TYPES OF MARKETING.

SO

[00:25:01]

SO LIKE FOR INSTANCE, EL ONE SAMARIO IS NOT AN ARTS ORGANIZATION.

YOU KNOW, THEY ARE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ORGANIZATION.

UM, THE CONTEMPORARY IS VISUAL ART, WHICH, YOU KNOW, CAN TEETER ON MEDIA ARTS, BUT IS, IS DIFFERENT.

IT'S A DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHIC.

UM, THEN ALSO WE HAVE A VERY STRONG RELATIONSHIP WITH THE JC BROOK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, WHICH WE ACTUALLY HOST, UM, NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETINGS AT OUR FACILITY BECAUSE OF THE SIZE OF IT ALSO.

UM, AND THEN, UM, ON TOP OF THAT, WE DO HAVE A VERY ROBUST, UH, DIGITAL MARKETING, UM, BOTH ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND TIKTOK JUST SAYING TIKTOK IS GREAT FOR INFORMATION INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, OF COURSE, OUR WEBSITE, UM, AND THEN JUST ORGANICALLY IN THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE OUR SPACE IS ARTISTS CONTROLLED.

AND BECAUSE THE FOLKS THAT ARE WORKING AT THIS SPACE ARE FILMMAKERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, BUSINESS OWNERS, SO FORTH, WE'RE GOING INTO OTHER THINGS WE'RE TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT THIS SPACE.

SO LIKE GOOD OLD FASHION, TALKING TO PEOPLE, UM, GOING AROUND TO THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE AROUND OUR AREA AND ENGAGING WITH THEM, INVITING THEM TO THINGS.

UM, AND THEN OF COURSE OUR IMPACT EVENTS, WHICH ARE ALWAYS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

SO 99.9% OF OUR EVENTS ACTUALLY, I THINK PROBABLY A HUNDRED PERCENT OF OUR EVENTS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

SO IT GIVES FOLKS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN FILM OR INTERESTED IN ART, OR MAYBE THEY DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE INTERESTED IN IT TO SEE, AND ACTUALLY ENGAGE WITH LOCAL ARTISTS AND LOCAL FILMMAKERS, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING THAT CAN BE VERY INSPIRING TO SOMEBODY AND ATTAINABLE.

IT'S AN ATTAINABLE GOAL.

THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

YEAH.

AWESOME QUESTION THERE.

UH, YES.

COMMISSION SKU TO GO RIGHT AHEAD.

SO, UM, I HAVE A QUESTION, BUT, UH, I WANT TO, UH, YOU KNOW, APPLAUD THE WORK THAT YOU DO.

IT'S EXCELLENT.

I'M SO IMPRESSED BY THE PRESENTATION.

THANK YOU.

BUT AS FAR AS FUND, I KNOW YOU SAID YOU'RE, YOU HAVE, UH, YOU ARE LIMITED BY YOUR FUNDS.

YOU HAVE $400,000 GOING OUT IN RENT.

YOU'VE ALREADY SPENT OVER CLOSE TO A MILLION DOLLARS IN UPGRADING THE FACILITY.

AND WHEN YOU'RE, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOUR LEASE RUNS OUT, IT COULD RISE FROM 200 TO MAYBE 500.

SO HAVE YOU CONSIDERED FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITIES GIVEN THAT YOU'RE A C3 ORGANIZATION, LOT OF CORPORATIONS LIKE TO SPONSOR ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THIS, IT LOOKS GOOD ON THEIR, UH, LEDGER THAT THEY'RE SUPPORTING THESE KINDS OF COMMUNITY, UH, ORGANIZATIONS ALSO, HAVE YOU CONTACTED THE CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE, UH, POTENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, FUNDING PART OR ALL OF YOUR, UH, NEEDS? YEAH, SO WE HAVEN'T CONTACTED THE CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE.

UM, WE HAVE, UM, BEEN SPEAKING TO THIS FOR A WHILE, NOT TO THIS COMMISSION, BUT TO THE ARTS COMMISSION ABOUT KIND OF OUR STRIFE AND AFFORDABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY IN AUSTIN, WE HAVE DONE FUNDRAISING, BUT I THINK SOMETHING THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND JUST ABOUT US IN GENERAL IS WE DON'T HAVE LARGE DONORS.

WE DON'T, WE SERVE THE WORKING CLASS COMMUNITY.

WE SERVE LOW INCOME INDIVIDUALS.

AND SO THAT IS OUR DEMOGRAPHIC.

AND SO THEN TRYING TO FUNDRAISE WITH PEOPLE THAT ARE ALREADY WORKING IN THIN MARGINS IS PRETTY IMPOSSIBLE AND ETHICALLY, YOU KNOW, COMING FROM EAST AUSTIN, COMING FROM A LOW INCOME FAMILY, UM, KNOWING THAT PRESSURE, UM, IS DIFFICULT.

UM, SO MAYBE WE JUST DON'T KNOW THE RIGHT PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE EXPENDABLE INCOME, UM, WE DON'T, UM, YOU KNOW, WE TRY, WE TRY, BUT FUNDRAISING IS REALLY HARD AND I WE'RE WORKING ON A VERY TIGHT BUDGET.

UM, SO ALL OF OUR TIME TYPICALLY GOES TO THE PROGRAMMING ITSELF.

AND I KNOW THIS IS LIKE A DOUBLE EDGED SWORD.

I, I REALIZE THIS.

I REALIZED THAT WE NEED TO BE DOING BOTH.

UM, BUT IT'S, IT'S HARD.

IT'S REALLY HARD BECAUSE WE'RE SMALL STAFFED.

SO IF I'M NOT DIRECTLY WORKING ON THE PROGRAMS OR GRANT FUNDING, SOMETHING MAY SLIP THROUGH THE CRACKS AND YOU KNOW, MAYBE THIS ISN'T THE, THE MOST ELOQUENT ANSWER, BUT IT'S HONEST.

UM, WE DON'T HAVE A LARGE DONOR BASE, UH, OR WE HAVE A LARGE DONOR BASE, BUT THESE DONORS ARE, YOU KNOW, DONATING FIVE, $10, NOT $5,000, IF THAT MAKES SENSE, BUT, YOU KNOW, UH, SORRY TO, YOU KNOW, BE, DELIVER THE POINT.

I'M NOT ASKING YOU TO GO AFTER THE PEOPLE WHO YOU ARE CATERING TO.

I AGREE THAT, THAT YOU ARE LOOKING, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE SERVING THE LOW INCOME COMMUNITY, BUT THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE IN THE CITY WHO HAVE, YOU KNOW, DEEP POCKETS I'M SAYING GO AFTER THOSE PEOPLE, BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF GENEROUS PEOPLE IN THIS CITY WITH DEEPER POCKETS.

UM, THE

[00:30:01]

SO, AND ALSO BY THE WAY, THERE ARE PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE IN FUNDRAISING.

THAT'S THEIR FULL-TIME JOB.

YOU'D BE AMAZED AT HOW MANY AVENUES THEY CAN OPEN UP FOR YOU.

YOU SHOULD AT LEAST START A DIALOGUE WITH A PROFESSIONAL FUNDRAISER.

YEAH.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

ALL RIGHT.

IS THERE ANY MORE QUESTIONS FROM OUR COMMISSIONERS ONLINE COMMISSIONER YATES? YES, PLEASE.

YES.

I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS.

UH, YOU DO SOME FANTASTIC WORK HERE AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, UM, MONEY IS TIGHT.

I WAS WONDERING FIRST, UM, DO YOU DO ANY COLLABORATION WITH THE AUSTIN PUBLIC AT, UH, NORTHWESTERN AND 12TH? AND MY SECOND QUESTION IS HOW DO CITIZEN, WHAT IS THE SEQUENCE OF STEPS IT WOULD TAKE FOR CITIZENS TO ACCESS YOUR RESOURCES? YES.

SO, UM, THE QUESTION WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC, UM, WE ARE CURRENTLY TALKING TO RITA WHO IS THE NEW, UH, EDUCATION DIRECTOR ON EVENT.

BUT PRIOR TO THAT, UM, WE HAVEN'T HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC.

UM, I WILL PUT IT IN THERE, UM, THAT WE WERE ACTUALLY INTERESTED IN APPLYING FOR THE BID WHEN IT CAME UP.

UM, BUT WE ACTUALLY KEPT CHECKING THE WEBSITE AND IT WASN'T UPDATED.

AND THEN THE BID SLIPPED THROUGH.

UM, SO THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE WERE PLANNING TO DO THIS YEAR AND I MISSED IT AT ABOUT A MONTH, UM, BECAUSE I DO THINK THAT WE WOULD BE A REALLY GREAT FIT BECAUSE A LOT OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING VERY MUCH OVERLAPS WITH THE MISSION FOR AUSTIN PUBLIC, UM, NUMBER TWO IS, UM, HOW DO PEOPLE ACCESS THE INFORMATION? WELL, THEY CAN CALL, UM, AND INQUIRE ABOUT INFORMATION, INQUIRE ABOUT A CLASS OR A TOUR OF THE FACILITY, OR THEY CAN SIGN UP DIRECTLY ON OUR WEBSITE.

THAT'S LITERALLY HOW EASY IT IS.

UM, WE ALSO HAVE OPEN HOUSE EVENTS, UM, THAT WE HOST YEAR ROUND OR JUST EVENTS IN GENERAL, UM, WHERE FOLKS CAN JUST COME IN AND AT THESE EVENTS, I'M THERE.

OUR STAFF IS THERE AND ACTUALLY OUR EDUCATORS AND OTHER ARTISTS AND MEMBERS ARE THERE.

AND SO I WILL SPEAK, I WILL TALK ABOUT THE PROGRAMS, UM, AND THEN FOLKS CAN ASK QUESTIONS.

SO THERE'S MULTIPLE DIFFERENT WAYS PEOPLE CAN CALL.

THEY CAN DO IT BY EMAIL OR ON THE WEBSITE, OR THEY CAN PHYSICALLY JUST COME TO A FREE EVENT TO CHECK IT OUT.

ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

WELL, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.

COMMISS YATES.

IN FACT, UH, I WANNA CLARIFY SOMETHING I MISSPOKE EARLIER.

IT WAS ACTUALLY OUR PARTNER, AUSTIN PUBLIC.

WE WORKED WITH ON THAT EARLIER TOWN HALL.

UH, BUT THE SYSTEMATICAL NATURE, OBVIOUSLY IT'S JUST BEEN RELAYED, SO I STILL WANNA MAKE SURE IT EXTENDED INVITATION TO JOIN US AT THE WORKING GROUP LEVEL.

AND LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME WAYS WE CAN WORK TOGETHER.

YEAH, OF COURSE.

WE'D LOVE TO THAT'S.

THAT'S AWESOME.

ANY OTHER, UH, QUESTIONS FROM OUR COMMISSIONERS ONLINE? OKAY.

WITH THAT THEN LET'S UH, THANK OUR SPEAKER FOR JOINING US TODAY.

AGAIN, WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO BEING IN TOUCH AND, UH, YOUR WORK CONTINUING IN THE COMMUNITY.

YEAH.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.

THANK YOU

[3. Grant for Technology Opportunities Program – GTOPs Connect Update (Jesse Rodriguez, Program Manager) ]

WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CONTINUE WITH OUR AGENDA NOW TO AGENDA ITEM TWO, THE GRANT FOR TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM G TOPS CONNECT UPDATE BY JESSE RODRIGUEZ, OUR PROGRAM MANAGER, HELLO COMMISSIONERS, JESSE RODRIGUEZ WITH FINANCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT.

UH, I HAVE A VERY LIGHTNING STYLE UPDATE FOR YOU ALL.

AND AS IT RELATES TO THE GRANT FOR TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM, UM, AS Y'ALL MIGHT KNOW, THIS IS OUR FIRST YEAR HAVING A G TOPS CONNECT PATHWAY FOR G TOPS.

AND THE PURPOSE OF THIS GRANT IS TO HELP CONNECT AUSTINITES WHO NEED INTERNET AND DON'T HAVE IT AND QUALIFY FOR THE AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM.

YOU KNOW, THIS GRANT IS TO HELP GET THOSE FOLKS CONNECTED.

UM, I JUST WANTED TO LET THE COMMISSION KNOW THAT WE ARE IN THE WE'LL HAVE A SIGNED CONTRACT BY THE END OF THIS WEEK FOR THAT.

AND AUSTIN FREENET IS GOING TO BE PROVIDING THOSE SERVICES TO HELP AUSTIN KNIGHT SIGN UP FOR ACP BENEFITS.

UM, BUT THE WORK IS ONGOING NOW, SO I DIDN'T WANNA WAIT .

SO IF YOU ALL KNOW OF ANY PLACES THAT YOU WOULD LIKE AUSTIN FREENET TO REACH OUT TO, OR, OR METHODS FOR US TO REACH OUT TO FOLKS THAT HAVE INTERNET OR THAT NEED INTERNET, UH, AND MAY QUALIFY FOR ACP, LET US KNOW.

WE WOULD LOVE TO CONNECT WITH, UH, ANY OF Y'ALL FOR ANY IDEAS YOU MIGHT HAVE ON HOW TO SPREAD THE WORD, UM, AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, BE WHERE WE NEED TO BE TO GET FOLKS CONNECTED WITH INTERNET, UM, SUBSCRIPTIONS.

SO, UH, THAT, THAT'S MY UPDATE, BUT, UM, OPEN ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE ANY, THANK YOU FOR THAT UPDATE.

YES.

UH, I KNOW THAT I CAN ALREADY ENVISION, AS YOU COULD IMAGINE, SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR

[00:35:01]

UH, DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR, OR FEEDBACK FOR JESSE? OKAY, WELL, THANK YOU FOR THE LIGHTNING.

WE APPRECIATE THAT, UH, WITH

[4. FCC Broadband Standards (Discussion and Action) ]

UH, SO THERE'S BEEN, UH, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THERE'S BEEN A, A LOT OF ATTENTION, UH, FOCUSED ON BROADBAND STANDARDS, UH, NOW AT THE NATIONWIDE LEVEL, AS OF LATE, AND WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING IT AND FOCUSED ON IT REALLY FOR SOME TIME.

NOW, AT LEAST FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW, UH, GOING BACK TO THE EARLY BEGINNINGS PRIOR TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE, UH, STATE BDO, UH, PLAN, BUT IN, IN, SO DOING, WE AGREED AS A COMMISSION THAT THE CURRENT FCC STANDARDS WERE INADEQUATE AND THAT WE SHOULD CREATE A CITYWIDE STANDARD.

AND IN THE MEANTIME, UH, THE FCC HAS BASICALLY CONFIRMED.

THEY AGREE, UH, AND, UH, ALTHOUGH THEY DIDN'T NECESSARILY HEAR IT FROM US, MAYBE THEY DID, WHO KNOWS, BUT, UH, THE POINT, THE POINT IS THAT THEY'RE ON THE SAME PAGE NOW, AND THEY'RE LOOKING TO AMEND THOSE STANDARDS.

WELL, THE PRIOR STANDARDS, WE WENT INTO DETAIL, UH, IN LENGTH ABOUT, UH, WHAT THEY WERE INITIALLY OFFERING AND UP AND DOWN AND WHAT THAT MEANT AND DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES INVOLVED AND DIFFERENT TESTING MODALITIES.

AND THEN WHAT HAVE YOU.

AND THEN WE AGREED IN OUR LAST DISCUSSION, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE WE'RE ALL CLEAR ON WHAT WE AGREED TO IN THE MEETING MINUTES IS MENTIONED THAT WE WERE ALL, UM, OBLIGATED TO SEND IN OUR IDEAS ON BROADBAND STANDARDS.

THAT'S CORRECT.

RIGHT? THE, THE, THE MOTION WAS AGREED TO ASSIGN HOMEWORK TO EACH COMMISSIONER TO SEND QUESTIONS AND FEEDBACK, UH, TO OUR COMMISSION LIAISON REGARDING THE CREATION OF BROADBAND STANDARDS FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

SO I KNOW THAT I SUBMITTED SOME QUESTIONS, UH, AND SHARED THOSE WITH JESSE.

UH, DOES ANYONE ELSE KNOW IF THEY WERE ABLE TO SUBMIT ANY QUESTIONS YET OR TO MAKE ANY PROGRESS ON THAT? DO WE NEED TO BE, UM, MORE SPECIFIC AS LIKE WHAT, UH, WHAT STANDARDS WE'RE LOOKING FOR? UM, SO IS IT ONLY BANDWIDTH THAT WE'RE INTERESTED IN AND THEN WOULD THIS BE A STANDARD BANDWIDTH, MINIMUM BANDWIDTH FOR WHAT, FOR SCHOOL, FOR WORK FOR CITY SERVICES ACCESS? UM, IS THERE, IS THERE SOMETHING MORE THAT, THAT WE NEED TO SPECIFY IN ORDER TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS? WELL, I, I THINK THE, THE, ALL THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU RAISED BASICALLY WERE, UH, GOOD QUESTIONS TO POTENTIALLY INCLUDE.

UH, RIGHT.

SO WHAT WE WERE, WHAT WE AGREED TO DO WAS TO BASICALLY START ASKING THOSE QUESTIONS AND TO START CREATING A COLLECTIVE LIST, UH, THAT JESSE WOULD BE ABLE TO AGGREGATE.

I, I DISCUSSION THAT WE HAD, I HAD, UH, MENTIONED SEVERAL QUESTIONS AND, UH, I THOUGHT I WAS DONE.

SO I DIDN'T DO DOCUMENTED, WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO DOCUMENT THEM WELL, , THAT WAS THE HOMEWORK THAT, THAT WE AGREED TO, AND THAT WE, WE MOVED TO, UH, JUST, UH, TO GO AHEAD AND TAKE THAT EFFORT.

I'D DRAG THEM DOWN.

SO, UH, I MEAN, IT'S OKAY.

YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE ALL, WE'RE ALL BUSY PEOPLE.

[00:40:01]

AND, AND IN FACT, UH, THE FCC HAS BEEN VERY ACTIVE.

SO IT'S VERY LIKELY THAT EVEN IF WE WERE TO START DOING HOMEWORK NOW AND THEN BE ABLE TO THEN FORWARD THOSE QUESTIONS AHEAD OF OUR NEXT MEETING, THAT WE'D HAVE ADDITIONAL INSIGHT THAT WE COULD HAVE GAINED.

UH, FOR EXAMPLE, IN A MEETING THAT I HAD YESTERDAY, UH, WITH RONDELLA, UH, AS I CONVEYED IN THE WORKING GROUP DISCUSSION AFTER, UH, TO A FEW OF YOU THAT WERE PART OF THAT DISCUSSION, THE FCC CAME UP AS PART OF A DISCUSSION REGARDING PUBLIC SAFETY AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE.

UH, RIGHT.

WE, WE NOW KNOW WE HAVE TWO CONTACTS THAT ARE DESIGNATED, UH, FCC, UH, COORDINATORS.

LET ME, IN FACT, LET, I DON'T WANNA MIS MISSPEAK.

SO LEMME TELL YOU EXACTLY AS IT'S PERTINENT TO THIS CONVERSATION, SPECIFICALLY, MIKE SIMPSON, UH, THE WIRELESS PROGRAM SERVICES MANAGER AND FCC REGULATORY AFFAIRS COORDINATOR FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SERVICES, UH, DIVISION OF CITY OF AUSTIN.

UH, WE AGREED IN OUR DISCUSSION AT THE WORKING GROUP LEVEL TO INVITE SIMPSON TO COME JOIN A WORKING GROUP DISCUSSION TO THEN IMPART SOME INSIGHT INTO THE, THE CURRENT STANDARDS AND, UH, OUR CURRENT CAPABILITIES, AS THEY'RE LITERALLY EVALUATING BEGINNING, UH, EARLY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT MAKING SOME TYPE OF UPGRADE IN THEIR SYSTEMS. SO I THINK THAT WE'LL HAVE MORE INSIGHT, UH, TO INFORM OUR QUESTIONS, A BIG PART OF IT, JUST TO BE CLEAR TOO, IS TO START TO CREATE, UH, THESE ARE QUESTIONS THAT EVENTUALLY ONCE WE HAVE, UH, OUR STRUCTURE IN MIND THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, ONCE WE HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, A DESCRIPTION FOR WORK OR FOR, UH, FOR EDUCATION OR FOR ANCHOR INSTITUTIONS, UH, ONCE WE HAVE AGREED UPON THOSE, THOSE DETAILS, WE'LL ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO, UH, EXCUSE ME, WELL, WE'LL ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO MAKE SOME SERIOUS, UH, PROGRESS.

UH, WE, WE WE'LL BASICALLY BE ABLE TO TAKE THAT LIVING DOCUMENT AND SHARPEN IT UP AND THEN PUT THAT IN FRONT OF THE PROVIDERS HERE.

UH, CUZ THAT WAS, AGAIN, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THIS WAS LEADING TO, TO ENABLE US IN CREATING THE STANDARD, TO BE ABLE TO MAKE IT CAPABILITY BASED AND INFORMED FROM INPUT FROM LOCAL CARRIERS.

UH, RIGHT.

SO EVENTUALLY THIS DOCUMENT WILL BE DISPERSED BY, BY VIRTUE OF THE LIAISON TO ALL THE CARRIERS.

SO JUST KEEP THAT IN MIND AS, AS YOU ALL WORK, UH, TOWARDS CREATING THOSE QUESTIONS IN THE FUTURE, UH, I'D LIKE TO GIVE A BRIEF, UH, RUNDOWN OF, OF, OF MINE, THE ONES THAT I SHARED WITH JESSE, UH, JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, WELL, RATHER THAN TO SPEND MORE TIME LOOKING, UH, I'LL JUST READ THE ONES.

I KNOW THAT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD THAT CAME TO MIND.

SO AS, AS AN EXAMPLE, UM, WORKING TO TRY TO GET SOME TYPE OF, UH, QUANTIFICATION OF, UH, THE COST OF BROADBAND SERVICE, YOU KNOW, BASED UPON THE AMOUNT OF DATA, RIGHT? SO WE ALL KNOW THERE'S DIFFERENT PRICES FOR DIFFERENT SERVICE, UH, PACKAGES.

WELL, CAN WE GET THE PROVIDERS OR, UH, INSIGHT INTO WHAT AN AVERAGE IS, UH, FOR MEGABIT PER SECOND UP AND DOWN THAT THIS IS ONE, ONE EXAMPLE IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY COMPARE WITH DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES, DIFFERENT WAYS OF ACCESS, WHAT THE COST IS OF AFFORDABLE, UH, BROADBAND AND OR WHAT THE COST IS, IF IT IS AFFORDABLE, THIS IS ONE EXAMPLE, UH, AND THAT WAS WITHOUT FOCUSING ON EDUCATION NECESSARILY OR INSTITUTIONS AND, AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.

SO

[00:45:01]

SO HE CAN AGGREGATE, I HAVE SOME QUESTION FIRST HERE.

UH, YES, COMMISSION YATES.

UH, SO ORIGINALLY THIS COMMISSION WAS INVESTIGATING STANDARDS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE TO FACILITATE MORE BROADBAND ROLLOUTS.

AND WOULD THIS BE PART OF THIS OR IS THIS SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE SEPARATE NOW? UH, I DON'T SEE THIS AS A SEPARATE EFFORT AND I THINK IT'S PART OF THIS.

OKAY.

SO, UM, WE HAD ORIGINALLY, UM, BEEN TALKING WITH SOME OF THE, UH, INSTITUTIONS THAT WERE TRYING TO CREATE INFRASTRUCTURE STANDARDS FOR ANTENNA SYSTEMS, THINGS LIKE THAT.

AND SO WOULD WE CONTINUE WITH THIS, UH, WITH LOOKING AND RESEARCHING ON THESE INFRASTRUCTURE STANDARDS? UH, CAN, CAN YOU CONFIRM, UH, WHICH POINT YOU'RE REFERRING TO THIS INFRASTRUCTURE CONVERSATION AND WHICH ONE? OKAY.

IT'S THE, UH, THAT, UH, THE PINS, THE PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORK KNOWS.

AND, UH, THERE WAS, UH, SOME, UH, SOME RESEARCH THAT WAS BEING DONE HERE AT AUSTIN ON THAT.

RIGHT, RIGHT.

WELL, THAT IS A SEPARATE CONVERSATION THEN, UH, BECAUSE THIS, THIS WAS SOMETHING WHICH WE WERE FOCUSED ON AHEAD OF, UH, REVAMPING THE DIGITAL INCLUSION, STRATEGIC PLAN AND WANTING TO ESTABLISH A PARAMETER, UH, FOR, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, AN ESSENTIAL STANDARD BASED UPON JUST NEEDS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.

UH, I THINK THE INFRASTRUCTURE PIECE IS, IS SEPARATE AND ALSO A SEPARATE AGENDA ITEM FOR US, UH, AGENDA ITEM SIX.

SO WE'LL DEFINITELY HAVE THAT AS PART OF OUR DISCUSSION, BUT, UH, THAT WAS NOT PART OF THE FCC BROADBAND STANDARDS PIECE.

OKAY.

UH, SO WE CAN, UH, DISCUSS THAT SEPARATELY THEN.

YES, YES WE CAN.

OKAY.

SO DO I HAVE A, A, A SECOND FOR, UH, I, I GUESS BASICALLY A, A RENEWAL OF OUR LAST AGREED UPON MOTION TO, TO SEND QUESTIONS, UH, AND, AND FEEDBACK REGARDING THE CREATION OF BROADBAND STANDARDS, UH, TO JESSE, WOULD YOU REPEAT THE MOTION? I DIDN'T SURE.

SURE.

UH, I MADE A MOTION, UH, FOR US TO, UH, REENGAGE IN OUR HOMEWORK TO, AS COMMISSIONERS TO SEND QUESTIONS AND FEEDBACK TO JESSE REGARDING THE CREATION OF BROADBAND STANDARDS FOR THE CITY.

SURE.

I SECOND DUDE.