Sep 25, 2020 Special Community Technology & Telecommunications Commission

[00:00:02]

I BELIEVE THAT'S ALL THE RCP ATTENDEES.

IS THAT CORRECT? JESSE, LET ME DO A QUICK POLL TO MY NOTES REAL QUICK.

YES.

OKAY, GREAT.

LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET

[CALL TO ORDER]

MY NAME IS NEHEMIAH FITZ.

THE THIRD I'M CALLING TO ORDER, UH, THE COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION MEETING AS CHAIR.

I'LL GO AHEAD AND ANNOUNCE THE ROLL CALL FOR EVERYONE THAT IS IN ATTENDANCE.

AND FOR THOSE THAT ARE NOT, UH, JUST IN THE ANSWERS THAT EXPEDIENCY I, AS I MENTIONED, MY NAME IS NEHEMIAH PITS ALSO IN ATTENDANCE AND THE ORDER OF OUR AGENDA.

WE HAVE COMMISSIONER SOPHIE GUIRO.

WE HAVE COMMISSIONER OR FAN BY ED.

WE HAVE VICE CHAIR, DAVID ALEXANDER.

WE HAVE COMMISSIONER DE FLOYD.

WE HAVE COMMISSIONER SUMIT DOES SCOOPED UP AND WE HAVE COMMISSIONER NICOLE THOMPSON ABSENT AT THIS TIME.

OUR COMMISSIONER, MICHELLE REINHARDT AND COMMISSIONER MALCOLM MEETS AND COMMISSIONER CLAUDIA YON IS PROCEEDING WITH THE AGENDA.

THE CALLING THE ORDER OF THE MEETING.

OF COURSE, WE'D LIKE TO BEGIN WITH

[1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – July 24, 2020]

SO WITH THAT, I'M HOPING TO GET A SWIFT MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AND THE SECOND, SO WE CAN CAST A VOTE MOTION TO APPROVE BY COMMISSIONER THAT SECOND BY COMMISSIONER FLOYD ABOUT I'D WANT TO SEE WHAT THE VOTE ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MINUTES AS PRESENTED, PLEASE SAY AYE.

AYE.

AYE.

AYE.

OKAY.

SURE.

I GOT EVERYBODY AND IT SEEMS LIKE A UNANIMOUS VOTE.

FOURTH ARE APPROVED AS PRESENTED

[2a. Briefing on COVID-19 Response to Digital Inclusion Programs (John Speirs, Program Manager – Telecom & Regulatory Affairs)]

WE'LL BEGIN WITH AGENDA ITEM TWO A WHICH WILL BE A BRIEFING, EXCUSE ME, A BRIEFING ON COVID-19 RESPONSE TO DIGITAL INCLUSION PROGRAMS BY JOHN SPHERES, THE PROGRAM MANAGER FOR HEALTH COMMUNICATIONS OF REGULATORY AFFAIRS OFFICE.

PLEASE TAKE IT AWAY.

THANK YOU, CHAIR PITS.

CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME? YES.

OKAY, EXCELLENT.

I WILL BE READING, UM, SOME TOP LINE INITIATIVES THAT ARE AN UPDATE ON DIGITAL ACCESS NEEDS AND TEMPORARY ACCESS RESPONSE TO COVID-19.

THIS UPDATE IS IN THREE CATEGORIES, DIGITAL ACCESS, COORDINATION, AND INFORMATION SHARING, UM, HOME INTERNET ACCESS AND COMPUTER DEVICE DISTRIBUTION TO DIGITALLY VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES AND FUNDING AND RESOURCES TO LOCAL AUSTIN, NONPROFIT GROUPS FOR DIGITAL ACCESS CAPACITY.

SO ON MARCH 17TH, THE MAYOR DECLARED THAT ALL NONESSENTIAL BUSINESSES IN AUSTIN WOULD CLOSE AND THUS BEGAN THE INITIATIVE IN THE OFFICE OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS IN WHICH WE ELICITED ADVOCACY TO OUR LOCAL INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS, INCLUDING AT AND T GOOGLE FIBER, GOOGLE FIBER BRANDED COMMUNICATIONS AND CHARTER SPECTRUM, ALL OF WHOM DID OFFER AND CONTINUE TO OFFER AT SOME LEVEL A LOW COST PRODUCT THAT IS AVAILABLE TO RESIDENTS AND IN SOME CASES INCREASED THEIR BANDWIDTH.

AND IN SOME CASES LIFTED CAPS FOR DATA FOR MOBILE DEVICES.

ALL OF THAT INFORMATION IS COMPILED AND ACCESSIBLE FROM AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV BACKSLASH DIGITAL INCLUSION ON OUR COVID-19 RESPONSE PAGE AND CITY STAFF OR IN REGULAR REGULAR COMMUNICATIONS WITH OUR LOCAL ISP TO ADVOCATE FOR CONTINUATION OF THESE MODIFIED SERVICES.

OUR NEXT UPDATE IS ON DIGITAL ACCESS, COORDINATION AND INFORMATION, SHARING THE CITIES, TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS OFFICE AS WELL IN SUPPORTING AND SPONSORING THE DIGITAL EMPOWERMENT COMMUNITY OF AUSTIN, WHICH IS THE WORKING GROUP COMPRISED

[00:05:01]

SO THAT SERVICE DELIVERY IN THIS, UM, RESPONSE PERIOD CAN REALLY LEVERAGE THOSE AVAILABLE RESOURCES.

UH, THIS IS AN ONGOING INITIATIVE AND THE MEETING DOCUMENTATION FROM EACH OF THE BIWEEKLY OCCURRENCES IS AVAILABLE AT AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV BACKSLASH DIGITAL INCLUSION ON THE COVID-19 RESPONSE PAGE.

THE NEXT AREA OF UPDATE IS THE HOME INTERNET ACCESS AND COMPUTER DEVICE DISTRIBUTION TO DIGITALLY VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS, THE FAMILIES TO COORDINATE THE DEPLOYMENT OF THOSE COMPUTERS, TO STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES WITHOUT ACCESS TO A, A DEVICE THAT IS NOT LOANED.

UM, AND ONE THAT IS ACCESSIBLE TO THE ENTIRE FAMILY TO GAIN BENEFIT FROM, UH, THE CITY HAS EXPANDED ITS CONTRACTUAL PARTNERSHIP WITH AUSTIN FREENET AND AUSTIN FREENET NOW SERVES AS AN AGENT TO DONATE COMPUTERS AND TECHNOLOGY DEVICES TO IN SUPPORT OF THOSE MOST DIGITALLY VULNERABLE STUDENTS AND FAMILIES.

RIGHT NOW, THE CURRENT PRIORITY FOCUS IS AISD FAMILIES WITHOUT ACCESS TO A HOME DEVICE.

UH, SO NUANCE THERE, THE DEVICES THAT ARE PROVIDED FROM OUR PARTNERS AT AUSTIN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, UM, MOST PRIMARILY CHROMEBOOKS ARE ACTUALLY LIMITED TO THE STUDENTS USE FOR THEIR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. SO IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY CONNECT THE ENTIRE HOUSEHOLD WITH WHAT MIGHT BE A DEVICE THAT COULD SERVE THE PARENT THAT MIGHT BENEFIT FROM MORE FORCE TRAINING, UM, UH, AND OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES.

UH, SO THIS IS, UH, ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH WE'RE PROVIDING THOSE RESOURCES TO A PRIORITY POPULATION.

AND IN ADDITION TO THE SEGMENT OF HOME INTERNET ACCESS IS THE, UM, ABILITY TO PROVIDE A PUBLIC WIFI AND FREE WIFI TO THOSE FAMILIES WITHOUT A HOME INTERNET CONNECTION AND AS A TEMPORARY SOLUTION.

UH, WE WANTED TO INCLUDE THE, UM, AWARENESS AND REMINDER THAT AUSTIN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT CONTINUES TO OFFER FREE WIFI CAPABILITIES UP TO 200 FEET.

UM, AND THESE LOCATIONS ARE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE, AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV, BACKSLASH DIGITAL INCLUSION, AND COVID-19 RESPONSE PAGE EIGHT, EIGHT, EIGHT, 8:00 AM TO 2:00 PM, UH, YEAH, IN 16 DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, UM, AND MISSES SOMETHING.

THIS PARTNERSHIP PREVIOUSLY DID INCLUDE CAPITAL METRO AS WELL.

AND WE DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE CAPITOL METRO'S PARTNERSHIP AND CONTRIBUTION IN THIS TIME, UM, WHILE THEIR RIDERSHIP WAS, UH, IN A PERIOD OF LOW, THEY WERE ABLE TO, UH, ALLOCATE SOME OF THEIR AVAILABLE BUSES AS RIDERSHIP HAS INCREASED.

AGAIN, UH, THOSE BUSES HAVE NOW RETURNED TO SERVICE.

UM, AND THESE, UH, BUS HOTSPOTS THAT AISD CONTINUES PROVIDE ARE FUNDED THROUGH A $600,000 PLUS GRANT FROM A WIRELESS PROVIDER CAUSE SHEETS, UM, AS WELL, THE CITY AND PARK CONTRACTUAL PARTNERSHIP WITH AUSTIN FREENET HAS CONTINUED TO, UM, MAKE AVAILABLE THE ONLY PUBLIC ACCESS COMPUTER LAB, UH, OPEN IN AUSTIN AT THIS TIME AT THE WT, UM, JOBS AND EMPLOYMENT TRAINING CENTER, WHICH IS WHERE OUR DIVISION, UH, OFFICES OUT OF AT TWO, TWO ZERO NINE ROSEWOOD AVENUE.

THIS IS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY WHERE THOSE SEEKING TO GAIN BENEFIT FROM THE, UM, RESOURCES AVAILABLE AT THE LAB, UH, INCLUDING, UH, DIGITAL LITERACY ASSISTANTS CAN SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT BY CALLING (512) 974-1463.

AND IF INDIVIDUALS ARE ABLE TO CONNECT WITH AN EMAIL ADDRESS, UH, THEY CAN EMAIL WORKFORCE AT AUSTIN, THREE DOT, UM, YEAH, IT RELATES TO A VERY VULNERABLE POPULATION.

THOSE, UM,

[00:10:01]

UM, AND THIS IS A TASK FORCE THAT INCLUDES PARTNERS FROM THE AGING SERVICES COUNCIL OF CENTRAL TEXAS, THE, UH, OLDER ADULT TECHNOLOGY SERVICES ORGANIZATION KNOWN AS OATS, AUSTIN FREENET COMMUNITY TECH NETWORK, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AGING AND LONGEVITY CENTER, AND AUSTIN OP, AND OUR PARTNERS AT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH AND THEIR SENIOR SERVICES UNIT.

UM, AND THE, THIS, UH, TASK FORCE IT LAUNCHED IN EARLY MAY, UH, IS REALLY PARTNERING TO ADDRESS FORMAL OUTCOMES AND SUCCESS OF WHAT IT MEANS TO PROVIDE TECHNOLOGY DEVICES, TO THOSE SENIORS, EXPERIENCING SOCIAL ISOLATION AND THE SUPPORT NECESSARY TO GAIN BENEFIT FROM ALL THAT IS AVAILABLE TO REMAIN SOCIALLY ENGAGED WITH THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY, AND ALSO TO ACCESS NEEDED RESOURCES ONLINE, UM, AND THE, UH, ABILITIES FOR THIS TASK FORCE TO EXPAND, EXPAND ITS AWARENESS.

AND THE OPPORTUNITY IS SOMETHING THAT IS IN PILOT STAGE RIGHT NOW, NOW.

UM, AND, UH, IT HAS REALLY FOCUSED ON THE STUDY OF WHEN WE ARE CONNECTING THOSE OLDER ADULTS WITH THE THREE LEGS OF THE STOOL, AS FAR AS THE ACCESS TO THE DEVICE AND THE AVAILABILITY OF INTERNET, UM, WHAT SORT OF OUTCOMES ARE ENJOYED BY THE OLDER ADULT AND SOMETHING THAT IS, UM, UH, UH, AN AREA WHERE WE CAN DEFINITELY EXPAND THE OPPORTUNITIES TO THAT SEGMENT OF THE POPULATION, UH, BRIEFLY HERE ON FUNDING AND TO LOCAL AUSTIN, NONPROFIT GROUPS FOR DIGITAL ACCESS CAPACITY.

UH, WE INITIATED A SPECIFIC SECOND COHORT OF THE GRANT FOR TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM THAT WAS CAPACITY FUNDING, A 150 TO $2,500 SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON COVID-19 RESPONSE.

UH, WE HAD A GREAT APPLICANT POLL FROM A NUMBER OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE RESPONDING AND SERVING THE PIVOT OF VIRTUAL SERVICE DELIVERY.

UM, ALL OF THOSE, UH, APPLICATIONS WERE FUNDED IN THIS SECOND COHORT, UH, FOR COVID-19 RESPONSE AND GE TOPS, UH, HAS BEEN ABLE TO REALLY SERVE AS A FUNDING MECHANISM TO AUSTIN, LOCAL NONPROFIT GROUPS, AS THEY PIVOT SERVICE DELIVERY TO ENTIRELY VIRTUAL TRAININGS AND ENGAGEMENTS WITH THEIR CLIENTS.

UM, AND LATER IN THIS MEETING, WE WILL TOUCH ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE DETOX, UH, TO ENSURE THAT IT'S MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY AS WELL FOR RESOURCES TO LOCAL AUSTIN, NONPROFIT GROUPS LEND A HAND ATX IS A PLATFORM THAT WAS LAUNCHED FROM AUSTIN TECHNOLOGY ALLIANCE.

AND THIS IS A WAY TO HELP SKILLED TECH VOLUNTEERS MAKE THEIR CRITICAL COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS AVAILABLE TO THE AUSTIN NONPROFIT GROUPS THAT HAVE A NEED FOR SKILL TECHNOLOGY, UH, CAPABILITIES, ASSISTANCE, AND SUPPORT, UM, AND ENSURING THAT THEIR WEBSITES AND, UM, CLIENTS ENGAGEMENT PLATFORMS AND OUTREACH METHODS ARE UTILIZING WEB PLATFORMS, UH, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

AND THAT USER DESIGN IS, UH, FULLY, UH, BAKED INTO THE PROCESS AND THE, UM, LEND A HAND ATX PLATFORM.

IT REALLY GALVANIZES THE, UM, TECH VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES THAT EXIST IN AUSTIN TO HELP THOSE NONPROFITS WITH THIS PIVOT, UM, AND SOMETHING THAT HAS SERVED AS A GREAT REFERRAL TOOL FOR, UH, THE GRANT FOR TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM, AS WE ARE HELPING WITH SOME OF THE FUNDING, UH, TO, UH, SUPPORT THOSE ORGANIZATIONS IN AUSTIN WITH THEIR PIVOT TO VIRTUAL SERVICE DELIVERY.

AND SOME OF THE TECH KNOW-HOW COMING FROM THE LEND A HAND ATX PLATFORM FOR INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER OPTIONS.

UM, WE AS WELL, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS A CONTINUING CONVERSATION.

UM, AND WE WORKED WITH OUR PARTNERS AT THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF AUSTIN RECENTLY TO CONVENE A, UM, SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION WITH, UM, INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS, ATMT CHARTER SPECTRUM, GOOGLE FIBER, UM, INCLUDING PCS FOR PEOPLE

[00:15:01]

UM, BUT ALSO TO IDEATE AROUND SOME OF THOSE LONGTERM SOLUTIONS THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO CONVERSE AS A COMMUNITY AROUND AFFORDABLE INTERNET OPTIONS AND WHAT THAT MEANS TO OUR RESIDENTS.

UM, AND SOME OF THE ONGOING DISCUSSIONS THAT WERE PRIORITIZED OUT OF THAT AUGUST 28TH, UH, SMALL GROUP, UH, ENGAGEMENT WERE WHAT OUTREACH EFFORTS ARE MADE BY OUR LOCAL INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS TO REACH LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES.

UH, WHAT WOULD A DIGITAL EQUITY SCORECARD LOOK LIKE AND HOW CAN WE DEVELOP ONE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE COMMUNITY AND HOW CAN WE AS A COMMUNITY FACILITATE A DIRECT DIALOGUE WITH OUR INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS TO ENSURE THAT NEEDS ARE BEING MET.

AND, UH, THIS WILL ROLL UP TO WHAT COMES NEXT AS A PLUG, UH, DIGITAL INCLUSION WEEK IS OCTOBER 5TH THROUGH NINTH, AND THIS YEAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER AS WE RECOGNIZE THAT MORE RESIDENTS ARE BEING FORCED TO WORK VIRTUALLY, UM, WHEN THEY MAY NOT NECESSARILY HAVE THE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY DO SO.

UM, BUT ALSO ENSURING THAT WE ARE, UH, HELPING NOT ONLY RESIDENTS PIVOT TO AN ENTIRELY ONLINE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT FOR THEIR WORK, FOR THEIR EDUCATION AND FOR THEIR SOCIAL CONNECTIVITY, BUT ALSO ENSURING THAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON THOSE CAPABILITIES OF THOSE SERVICE PROVIDERS THAT ARE, UM, HELPING TO, UH, ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THOSE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT LACK THOSE, UM, BLACK, THE ACCESS TO THOSE BASIC RESOURCES.

UM, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I KNOW CHAIR PITS WILL ENGAGE IN, UH, AN UPDATE LATER, UH, AROUND THE, UH, COMMISSIONS, UH, SPECIFIC INVOLVEMENT AS IT RELATES TO DIGITAL INCLUSION WEEK.

UM, BUT AT AUSTIN, TEXAS DACA BACKSLASH DIGITAL INCLUSION, WE'RE WORKING TO POST A LINK TO DIGITAL INCLUSION WEEK.

UM, AND I BELIEVE THAT IS AVAILABLE AS OF A FEW DAYS AGO AND SOMETHING THAT THERE IS A CALENDAR AS WELL AS, UM, WILL BE FUTURE, UM, UH, RESOURCES AVAILABLE ON THAT WEBSITE FOR WHAT IS, UH, AN IMPORTANT EVENT THIS YEAR, MORE THAN EVER.

SO WITH THAT, A VERY BRIEF SUMMARY, BUT HOPEFULLY, UM, A GOOD DELIVERY THERE FOR ALL THE UPDATES ON OUR DIGITAL ACCESS NEEDS AND CURRENT RESPONSE.

THANK YOU, JESSICA.

THANK YOU, JOHN.

I'D LIKE TO PAUSE NOW AND OPEN IT UP TO THE COMMISSIONERS TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY ABOUT THIS AGENDA ITEM AND THE IMPORTANT WORK THAT'S BEING DONE NOW, OF COURSE, TO CONTINUE SERVICE DELIVERY IN THE MIDST OF COVID-19.

I HAVE A QUESTION SHEPHERDS.

SURE.

MR. DASGUPTA GO RIGHT AHEAD.

UM, JOHN, IF YOU REMEMBER, A FEW MONTHS AGO, I THINK IT WAS AN IT DIRECTOR FOR AISD CAME TO DROP AND I TURNED UP, UM, TOOK HIM TO TASK BECAUSE ALL HE COULD TALK ABOUT WAS HOW MANY PIECES OF HARDWARE THEY WERE DISTRIBUTING TO THE TEACHERS AND TO THE STUDENTS, PARTICULARLY IN THE AREAS.

THAT'S A DISTRICT ONE, TWO AND FOUR WHERE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM HAD SHUT DOWN PREMATURELY WHEN THE COVID-19 HIT.

CAN YOU HEAR ME? CAN YOU HEAR ME? OKAY.

UM, AND, UH, I I'D BE WATCHING, WE HAVE FRIENDS WHO ARE TEACHERS.

WE HAVE FRIENDS, OF COURSE, WITH YOUNG KIDS IN SCHOOL.

I HAVE TWO GRANDKIDS IN SCHOOL AND I WATCHED THEM IN CEDAR PARK AND THEN ROUND GROVE DISTRICT IN PAUL, UH, TO MY WORK, UH, WITH THE CENSUS FOCUSING ON THE ASIAN COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO IN THE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY AROUND THE LAMAR AND RON BURKE, WHICH IS TERRIBLY LOW LINE WHEN IT COMES TO THE CENSUS COUNT, BUT YET PARTICULARLY BECAUSE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM SHUT DOWN AND THAT WAS THEIR ONLY ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC GEAR.

AND THE, AND THE, AND THE QUESTION I HAD FOR THE IT DIRECTOR WAS I AM NOT INTERESTED IN THE NUMBER OF PIECES OF HARDWARE DISTRIBUTED, BUT I'M INTERESTED IN HOW THAT HARDWARE IS BEING CAPITALIZED TO TRANSFER KNOWLEDGE FROM THE STUDENT.

I TOLD THE TEACHER TO THE STUDENTS, AND THAT'S WHERE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM COMPLETELY COLLAPSED BECAUSE THE TEACHERS DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO USE THE TECHNOLOGY.

HOW HAS THAT CHANGED? YOU KNOW, I APPLAUD THE WORK THAT

[00:20:01]

YOU'VE GOT INDUSTRY PAID, PLAYING PAROLE, EVERYTHING, BUT WHERE ARE THE TEACHERS BEING TRAINED TO IMPART THE KNOWLEDGE? STUDENTS ARE FALLING BEHIND MOMENT.

UH, JOHN, UH, JUST TO ESTABLISH, UH, ON THE RECORD THAT CERTAIN THINGS WE MIGHT EXPERIENCE AND, AND, UH, UH, ANTICIPATE RATHER, UH, INTERACT IN OUR ACTIONS AS COMMISSIONERS WE MIGHT EXPERIENCE ON OUR OWN, UH, MAY NOT NECESSARILY BE REPRESENTATIVE OF, OF THE SITUATION AT LARGE, ALTHOUGH WE WERE ALL COMMISSIONERS, OF COURSE, AND WE'RE HERE FOR OUR INSIGHTS.

I'M SAYING THIS MAINLY TO SAY THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN THAT JOHN WON'T NECESSARILY BE ABLE TO VALIDATE BASED ON WHAT YOU SAID AND YOUR QUESTION, UH, AND HE SHOULDN'T BE EXPECTED TO, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S A FAIR QUESTION.

I'D LIKE TO GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO ANSWER THAT.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER, TO SCOOP AND SHARE PETS FOR THAT CONTEXT.

UM, WE KNOW THAT EQUITY IS AN ISSUE IN THIS CHANGE IN ENVIRONMENT, AS WE ALL RESPOND TO COVID-19, UM, AND THE RISKS THAT THAT'S, UH, PANDEMIC POSES TO OUR COMMUNITY, YOU ARE, UM, RAISING A POINT AROUND EQUITY, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT.

UM, AND TO THAT, UM, I WOULD, UM, WANT TO, UH, HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH AISD SO THAT WE CAN RESPOND TO THAT QUESTION SPECIFICALLY.

UM, I AM GENERALLY AWARE OF RESOURCES THAT HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED TO SUPPORT TEACHERS IN SUCCESSFUL UTILIZATION OF THE VIRTUAL TOOLS THAT ARE BEING MADE AVAILABLE TO THEM TO IMPART THE CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE AND THE SUCCESS OF THE STUDENT PUTTING THAT STUDENT FIRST, I KNOW, IS A PRIORITY FOR THE AUSTIN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, AS IT IS FOR ALL OF OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND THE COMMUNITY.

UM, BUT SOMETHING THAT IS ALSO BEEN AN OPPORTUNITY AREA.

WE, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS, UM, A, UH, CREATIVE ATMOSPHERE THAT CAN REALLY ONLY BE CULTIVATED IN THE CLASSROOM, UM, AND ALSO THAT PERSONAL LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT WITH STUDENTS AND TEACHERS.

UM, AND WE CAN DEFINITELY SEEK MORE INFORMATION FROM AISD AS IT RELATES TO YOUR QUESTION THERE.

UM, AND IT RESONATES WITH WHAT WE ALL KNOW TO BE A CHALLENGE AREA RIGHT NOW THAT DEFINITELY THERE IS MORE OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE THE, THE MANNER IN WHICH WE ARE RENDERING, THAT THERE IS, UM, A LOT OF RESOURCES GOING INTO, UH, AS KEVIN SCHWARTZ, THE CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER AT THE AUSTIN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT SAYS THERE ARE A LOT OF RESOURCES GOING INTO MAKING SCHOOL WORK NOW, UM, AND MORE THAN EVER, UH, THOSE RESOURCES, UH, REALLY ARE, UM, AREAS THAT HAVE NOT REALLY BEEN DONE ON A WIDE SCALE LIKE THIS BEFORE.

UM, SO IT WOULD BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMISSION TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, UH, POTENTIALLY THROUGH A WRITTEN RESPONSE OR EVEN AN INVITE TO A FUTURE MEETING, UM, TO DISCUSS WHAT IT IS THAT THEY'RE SEEING AS FAR AS THIS PIVOT AND THE CHALLENGES AS IT RELATES TO, UH, TRYING TO EMULATE WHAT USED TO BE AN ENTIRELY IMPERSONAL INTO A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT.

BUT YOUR, YOUR QUESTION THERE IS, UH, ON POINT, UM, AND WE WILL FACILITATE THAT CONNECTION, UM, SO THAT WE CAN, AS, AS A COMMISSION, UH, REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.

LET ME GO FROM COMMENT, UH, CHAIR PITS.

UM, I'M FULLY AWARE THAT JOHN IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BEHAVIOR OF THE ISD, BUT SINCE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT CITIZENS OF THE CITY, THE WORK THAT THE CITY IS DOING SHOULD BE APPLAUDED, BUT I'M SURE THE CITY HAS A CONNECTION TO THE ISD PEOPLE.

SO THAT'S WHAT MY PIVOT WAS.

AND IN A WAY I'M SORT OF ENCOURAGING JOHN AND THE CITY TO CONNECT WITH AISD TO MAKE SURE THAT AI IS DO DELIVERS BECAUSE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT CITIZENS OF THE CITY.

AND SO MAYBE EITHER TO, LIKE JOHN SAID, THE WRITTEN RESPONSE FOR RETURN VISIT THAT THE CTO, I MEAN, THE CHIEF TECHNOLOGY TO THE CTO OF, OF AISD, WE REQUESTED TO COME BACK AND THEY ENLIGHTENED US AS TO HOW MUCH PROGRESS WE'VE MADE IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS OR FOUR MONTHS.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER.

THAT'S GOOD.

I APPRECIATE THAT.

AND YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE OVERALL SITUATION, OF COURSE, AS WELL.

BUT THE MAIN THING THAT

[00:25:01]

I'M NOT SAYING THAT THE QUESTIONS ARE NOT IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION, PARTICULARLY AS A FOLLOWUP TO OUR LAST PRESENTATION, UH, AND WOULD BE A GREAT POINT TO RAISE AGAIN LATER ON, UH, FOR FUTURE AGENDA AND AN INVITATION POINT, I THINK, UH, FOR, UH, THE CTO, THE COM EVERYTHING YOU WILL HOPEFULLY BE PLEASED, THERE'LL BE SOME, UH, SOME GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGAGEMENT, UH, THAT WE'RE, UH, ENABLING AS A COMMISSION AROUND THIS TOPIC, UH, HERE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS.

UH, BUT AS JOHN MENTIONED, WE'LL GET TO THOSE LATER IN THE AGENDA.

SO I DO WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION, YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE OVERALL DYNAMIC AS YOU SUGGESTED, UH, THAT AIC OF COURSE IS INDEPENDENT OF US.

UH, AND OUR COLLABORATIONS WITH THEM.

WE HAVE TO SOMETIMES RELY ON THEM FOR DIRECT INFORMATION, UH, AND IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE SPECIFIC, UH, RATHER THAN NARRATIVE AND ANECDOTAL.

IF WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SPECIFIC STATEMENTS ABOUT THINGS THAT WE ARE AWARE OF OR FAMILIAR WITH IN THE DISTRICT, UH, IN FAIRNESS TO THAT PARTNERSHIP, UH, TO GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES, UH WE'RE, WE'RE ALL ADVISORS.

AND SO OF COURSE, ANY OF OUR INSIGHTS ARE TAKEN SERIOUSLY.

AND SO I WANNA APPRECIATE YOU FOR THAT.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR, YOUR QUESTION.

IS THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR, OR COMMENTS NOW FOR, FOR JOHN? THIS IS COMMISSIONER GARA.

YEAH.

I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU, JOHN IT'S AROUND THE SOCIAL ISOLATION TASKFORCE.

I WAS WONDERING IF, YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE TARGETING BOTH RESIDENT HOMES AND INDEPENDENTLY LIVING CITIZENS, AND I'M CURIOUS AS TO HOW THOSE GROUPS ARE BEING IDENTIFIED.

EXCELLENT QUESTION.

UM, THE, THE GROUP, UM, HAS FOCUSED ON THOSE, UM, UH, CO LIVING CENTERS THAT EXIST WITHIN AUSTIN, MOST NOTABLY THROUGH THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT, UM, LIKE THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAVE SPECIFIC PROPERTIES FOR OLDER ADULTS.

UM, IN ADDITION, A NUMBER OF THOSE PARTNERS THAT I MENTIONED ON THE TASK FORCE ARE ENGAGED WITH INDEPENDENTLY LIVING OLDER ADULTS AS WELL.

UM, SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT REPRESENTS REALLY, UH, TWO PATHWAYS TO CONNECTING, UH, WITH OLDER ADULTS AND SOMETHING THAT THERE HAS BEEN REALLY A FOCUS ON BOTH THOSE THAT ARE INDEPENDENTLY LIVING, UM, AND THOSE THAT LIVE IN, UH, SITUATIONS IN WHICH THEY'RE IN A LARGER FACILITY.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION, BY THE WAY, I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THE PRESENCE OF COMMISSIONER WHO IS JOINED IN TIME TO, UH, TO BE AN OFFICIAL ATTENDEE, UH, AS PART OF OUR QUORUM.

UH, AGAIN, IT MIGHT OPEN IT UP TO ANYONE ELSE THAT MIGHT HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR JOHN NOW FOR THIS, UH, TO THE ITEM TWO EIGHT.

UM, YEAH, THIS IS MALCOLM HERE, AND I APOLOGIZE FOR TUNING IN LATE.

UM, SO MY QUESTION CONCERNS THE SOCIAL ISOLATION TASKFORCE AND HOW THAT CAN BE GENERALIZED.

UM, WE, UH, DETOX GRANT TO REALLY ENCOMPASS MORE COMMUNITIES WE HAD BEEN TALKING ABOUT SOMEHOW GETTING THE CITY TO PURCHASE LICENSES FOR COMMUNITIES TO USE FOR NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS, UM, DURING A CRISIS.

AND I'M WONDERING IF DETOX COULD BE USED AS A VEHICLE FOR THESE PURCHASES.

WELL, OFF OF THAT, AND THAT MY QUESTION WAS VERY SIMILAR TO COMMISSIONER YATES, BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO ASK ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE HAVE WITH G TOPS.

AND, UM, SOME OF THOSE, UM, FOLKS WHO ARE GETTING THE GRANT WHO MAY SERVE AS, UM, THESE POPULATIONS, SPECIFICALLY THE SOCIAL ISOLATION AND WONDERING IF THE CITY WAS DOING ANYTHING WITH THE RECIPIENTS OF THE G TYPES GRANT SPECIFICALLY WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

THAT GOES TO THAT TWO QUESTIONS, UH, BEST SUITED FOR NOW FOR, FOR LATER NEW AGENDA.

I KNOW THAT IT WILL MAKE THE TIME, BUT I DON'T WANT TO, UH, UH, TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DIRECTLY ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS NOW FOR EVA, JOHN OR JESSE.

YEAH, LET ME, UM, UH, THANK YOU, UH, COMMISSIONER THOMPSON AND COMMISSIONER NEEDS.

UM, BOTH QUESTIONS.

I HAVE A RESPONSE

[00:30:01]

UM, I BELIEVE AUSTIN FREENET AS THE FISCAL AGENTS OF, UM, ONE OF THE AWARDS ALONG WITH, UH, A LEVERAGE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AGING SERVICES COUNCIL, UM, OF TEXAS AS WELL.

SO THEY HAVE REALLY UNITED AROUND THE GS HOPS FUNDS THAT HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AND ARE FOCUSING ON THOSE, UH, DEVICES THAT COULD BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE OLDER ADULTS.

SO REALLY A GREAT LEVERAGE OPPORTUNITY THERE.

UM, AND, UH, COMMISSIONER NEEDS, UH, TO YOUR QUESTION, UM, GOING FORWARD, UH, HOW MIGHT WE PRIORITIZE THIS COMMUNITY? UM, I WOULD DEFER TO THE FUTURE AGENDA ITEM FOR THE GI TOPS RECOMMENDATIONS AS TO HOW WE HAVE, UH, TAKEN THE FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY AND OVERLAID THAT AGAINST OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS HAVE EXIST AT THIS POINT IN TIME.

AND OUR RECOMMENDATIONS TO YOU AS A COMMISSION ON HOW WE MIGHT BEST SERVE THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY, SPECIFICALLY, UH, WITH A LENS ON OLDER ADULTS, UM, IN, IN EVALUATING ALL THE NEEDS OF THE DIFFERENT, UH, SPECIFIC POPULATIONS THAT EXIST.

SO, UM, THERE IS SOME RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE AROUND THAT QUESTION THAT, UH, CAN, UH, ADDRESS SOME FURTHER INFORMATION THERE.

HOPEFULLY THAT'S A HELPFUL FOR BOTH COMMISSIONS FROM NOW.

IS THERE ANY FOLLOWUP THEY'RE NEEDED OR WILL WE BE ABLE TO WAIT UNTIL THE LATER DID THE ITEM TO THE CARRY ON? WE CAN DISCUSS A TOPIC THAT I BROUGHT UP ON LATER ON IN THE AGENDA THEN.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

UH, IS THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS NOW FOR JOHN ON AGENDA ITEM TWO EIGHT? OKAY.

WITH THAT, THEN WE'LL PROCEED WITH THE AGENDA NOW TO AGENDA

[2b. TARA Office Briefing (John Speirs, Program Manager – Telecom & Regulatory Affairs)]

JOHN, GO RIGHT AHEAD.

THANK YOU, CHAIR PITS.

UH, WE WANTED TO, UH, HAVE THIS ITEM ON THE AGENDA TO JUST TO MAKE THE COMMISSION AWARE OF SOME, UH, ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES THAT HAVE RECENTLY OCCURRED.

UM, THE FIRST ONE IS THAT OUR FISCAL YEAR 21 BUDGET INCLUDES A OFFICE REORGANIZATION, AND THIS IS A PART OF SEVERAL DEPARTMENT REORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE INTENDED TO IMPROVE OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS ACROSS VARIOUS CITY WORK UNITS.

YOU ALL HAVE RECEIVED THIS MEMORANDUM PREVIOUSLY UNDER SEPARATE COVER, BUT READING US HERE INTO THE RECORD NOW, MOST OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS OFFICE IS INCORPORATING INTO THE FINANCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, UM, INCLUDING THE COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY DIVISION.

UM, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE DEPARTMENT WILL BE SPLITS WITH THE, UH, GROUP THAT SUPPORTS THE SMALL CELL PERMITTING, MOVING TO THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT.

UM, AND THIS WILL HELP TO ALIGN THE SMALL CELL PERMITTING, UM, FUNCTIONS WITH THE, UM, GENERAL PERMITTING FUNCTIONS AND POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITY TO FURTHER STRENGTHEN THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PERMITTING FUNCTIONS OVERALL, UM, UNDER ONE ROOF AND THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT.

SO, UM, MR. JOHN, GUYDON THE PROJECT MANAGER OVER THAT GROUP, UH, WILL TRANSITION TO THAT APARTMENT, BUT, UM, UH, REMAIN AN ACTIVE COLLABORATOR WITH THIS COMMISSION AND WITH TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY OVERALL GOING FORWARD.

IN ADDITION TO THE DEPARTMENT REORGANIZATION, THE CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, UH, STEVEN ELKINS RETIRED FROM THE CITY EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER FOUR, 2020, UH, OUR DEPUTY CITY MANAGER NORDEA AT RIVERA VANDERVEEN SELECTED CHRIS STEWART, THE AUSTIN WATER CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER AS THE ACTING CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER.

UM, AND THAT WAS EFFECTIVE THE SAME DAY OF STUDENTS RETIREMENT, SEPTEMBER 4TH.

UM, AND WE HAVE CONNECTED WITH CHRIS ON BEHALF OF THE COMMISSION TO REQUEST A, UM, JUST BRIEF UPDATE FROM HIM, UH, FOR THE OCTOBER 20, 20 REGULAR MEETING, UM, AND SOMETHING THAT WE WILL WORK TO CONFIRM AND COORDINATE ACCORDINGLY.

SO THOSE ARE VERY BRIEF, UM, CITY ORGANIZATION UPDATES THAT WE FELT IMPORTANT TO SHARE WITH THE COMMISSION HERE.

THANK YOU FOR THAT, JOHN.

I APPRECIATE IT.

WE'VE BEEN LIKE TO OPEN IT UP TO THE COMMISSION FOR ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SPECIFIC MEGYN ITEM AND CHANGES THAT ARE HAPPENING WITH THE REORG,

[00:35:13]

AND THE ONE THING I JUST NEED A COMMENT I REALIZED THERE WAS NEUTRAL.

WELL, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I WAS, THERE WAS A WAY TO SAY THANK YOU TO STEVEN HAWKINS.

HE GOES, HE WAS SUCH A GOOD PARTNER FOR THIS COMMISSION WHO YOU WORK WITH US, AND I WISH HAD CHANCE.

GOODBYE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS.

UH, I DEFINITELY WOULD APPRECIATE, UH, DEFINITELY AGREE AND APPRECIATE, UH, ALL OF OUR COLLABORATION, UH, AND LOOK FORWARD TO THAT CONTINUING WITH OUR, OUR INTERIM, UH, CIO AND, UH, WITH OUR NEW CIO, WE DO ACTUALLY HAVE OTHER LEADERSHIP CHANGES AS WELL, UH, THAT ARE LIKELY TO IMPACT OUR DELIBERATIONS HERE, UH, INCLUDING CHANGES AT THE CHIEF INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICER LEVEL.

UM, AND THOSE WILL BE POINTS FOR DISCUSSION LATER ON, UH, BUT ALSO WORTH MENTIONING.

UM, SO WITH THAT, UH, I'D LIKE TO ASK, DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR JOHN ABOUT THE CHANGES? YES.

UM, TARA IS NOW MONITORING LEGISLATIVE ACTION BE WORKING UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS OFFICER RUNDOWN HAWKINS TO TAKE ON THAT ROLE.

SO THAT MEANS IN ADDITION TO YOUR CURRENT RESPONSIBILITY, YOU'VE GOT TO TAKE ON THAT ALSO, WHICH USED TO BE A FULL FTE BY ITSELF.

YES, THAT IS CORRECT.

YES.

WELL, I THINK THAT THAT'S KIND OF REALLY A BURDENING.

YOU HERE'S A LOT OF LEGISLATION, SO THIS IS GOING TO BE STATE AND FEDERAL LEGISLATION THAT YOU'VE GOT TO MONITOR AT THE SAME TIME.

THEN, DO YOU HAVE ANY KIND OF A MONITORING SERVICE THAT HELPS YOU WITH THIS, OR A, SOME KIND OF A CITY TELECOMMUNICATION COMMISSION KIND OF NATIONAL ORGANIZATION? YES.

THANK YOU, CHAIR.

I'M SORRY.

COMMISSIONER UTES FOR THAT QUESTION, BECAUSE THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE CITY IS ABLE TO LEVERAGE.

IT'S A LOBBYIST AND IT'S A SUPPORTING LEGISLATIVE MONITORING FIRMS, UH, SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS.

UM, THE SPECIFIC NAME OF THIS SOFTWARE SOLUTION THAT WE'RE UTILIZING FOR STATE LEGISLATION IS CALLED TELECON.

UM, I RECENTLY WAS ABLE TO BE TRAINED ON TELECON AND SOMETHING THAT WILL HELP US TO STAY AHEAD OF THE LEGISLATION.

SO THAT WILL RE TIMELY IN OUR COMMENTS AND, UH, NECESSARY ANALYSIS OF STATE LEGISLATION, THE STATE LEGISLATURE, UH, NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION, UM, IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER AND SOMETHING THAT WE'LL BE KICKING OFF ON JANUARY 12TH, 2021, BUT WHO'S KEEPING COUNTS OF THAT.

UM, AND SOMETHING THAT THE SEVENTH LEGISLATURE LATER HAVE A, A LOT OF ACTION.

YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT AS WE HAVE A PART TIME LEGISLATURE HERE IN TEXAS, THAT WILL BE SOMETHING THAT, UM, WE KNOW THERE WILL BE A LOT OF FAST MOVING BILLS.

UM, AND SOME OF THEM WILL MAKE THEIR ALL THEIR WAY TO THE GOVERNOR'S DESK FOR APPROVAL.

UM, AND WE WILL, UH, BE DILIGENT IN OUR PRIZES TO KEEP THE COMMISSION INFORMED, UM, AND ENGAGED WHERE POSSIBLE AS IT RELATES TO THAT FAST MOVING LEGISLATION, UM, AS IT RELATES TO FEDERAL ADS, A SHAPE LEGISLATION WE'RE AS WELL, A PART OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS OFFICERS AND ADVISORS OF THAT, WE ARE PRIVY TO NATIONAL, UH, AWARENESS OF BILLS THAT MAY BE MOVING THROUGH THE US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND, OR, UH, THE SENATE, UM, AND ANY STATUTES THAT ARE BEING DEVELOPED, UH, FROM THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION, AS IT RELATES TO RULES THAT THEY MAY BE PROPOSING.

UM, SO WE ARE ABLE TO LEVERAGE THOSE ENTITIES WORKING ON OUR BEHALF.

SO WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY HAVING TO DO ALL THAT LATE WORK.

UM, IT REALLY IS JUST SERVING AS THAT BROKER TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR FEEDBACK AND ANALYSIS IS RENDERED.

AND, UM, THAT INCLUDES BOTH THE FEEDBACK AND ANALYSIS TO OUR INNER GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS OFFICE AND

[00:40:01]

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.

UH, COMMISSIONER YOU, UH, I WILL FOLLOW UP BASED ON, UH, THE, THE DYNAMIC, UH, IS THERE, HAS THERE BEEN A MATRICULATION PLAN OR ANY PLAN FOR A FUTURE BUDGET ALLOTMENT OR ALLOCATION, UH, TO PROVIDE SOME ASSISTANCE FOR THESE EFFORTS? AND I SEE THAT, UH, NOT WITHSTANDING, UH, WHAT A GREAT JOB I FEEL AS THOUGH YOU'VE DONE JOHN AS PROGRAM MANAGER.

UH, AND OF COURSE ALSO RECOGNIZING, UH, THE GREAT JOB THAT RHONDELLA DID.

UH, SO I'D LIKE TO ASK, UH, RECOGNIZE THAT YOU DON'T CONTROL THE BUDGET IF THERE'S BEEN ANY INSIGHTS SHARED INTO THE PLANNING AROUND THAT, AND THE FACT THAT YOU ARE CLEARLY ONE PERSON NOW DOING TWO JOBS ARE GOING TO BE A THANK YOU FOR THAT INQUIRY.

UM, THERE ARE, UH, THERE IS ONE EFFORT THAT IS, UM, UNDERWAY, UM, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WAS FUNDED IN THE FYI 21 BUDGET TO EVALUATE, UM, FUTURE EFFICIENCIES, UH, AMONGST WORK GROUPS IN THE ORGANIZATION AND THE EVALUATION OF THOSE LEVERAGE OPPORTUNITIES.

UM, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS, UM, SO THAT INITIATIVE TO EVALUATE ORGANIZATIONAL EFFICIENCIES GOES BEYOND THE REORGANIZATION THAT I INFORMED OF EARLIER AS IT, AS IT RELATES TO THE MOVEMENT OF OUR OFFICE.

UM, AND IS SOMETHING THAT IS BEING MANAGED BY THE OFFICE OF PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT, UM, A NEW PARTNER DEPARTMENT AS WE REPORT TO THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER NOW.

UM, SO THERE WILL BE SOME FUTURE IDENTIFIED OPPORTUNITIES I'M SURE FROM THAT INITIATIVE, UM, AS FAR AS WHERE THOSE POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL RESOURCES MIGHT BE AVAILABLE AND, OR LEVERAGED, UM, IN GOING FORWARD.

SO, UM, I WOULD SAY MORE TO COME ON THAT, UH, WE ARE VERY WELL AWARE OF THE, UH, CAPACITY, UM, CHALLENGES THERE.

UM, AND I THINK THAT WE'RE JUST HAPPY TO BE PROVIDING THE SERVICES THAT WE ARE TO THE COMMUNITY AND REALLY PROUD OF THAT WORK.

SO, UM, AND THANK YOU FOR THE COMMISSION SUPPORT THERE ON THAT.

AND WE'RE, WE'RE EVALUATING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.

THANK YOU FOR THAT RESPONSE AND FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK, UH, PLEASE KEEP US POSTED AND CERTAINLY LET US KNOW IF WE CAN DO ANYTHING TO HELP IN THE WAY OF A RECOMMENDATION, UH, OR OTHER EFFORTS AT THE COMMISSION LEVEL.

UH, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS THAT PEOPLE MAY HAVE FOR JOHN HOUSTON ABOUT THE AGENDA ITEM TO BE OKAY WITH THAT WE'LL THEN PROCEED IN OUR AGENDA TO AGENDA ITEM THREE

[3a. Discussion and action on Grant for Technology Opportunities Program 2021 Cycle Recommendations (Jesse Rodriguez, Business Process Specialist – Telecom & Regulatory Affairs)]

UH, JESSE, PLEASE TAKE IT AWAY.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, CHAIR.

YES, I'M JESSE RODRIGUEZ WITH TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS, AND I'LL BE GIVING A QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE GRANT FOR TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM 2021 RECOMMENDATIONS.

I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND SHARE MY SCREEN IN CASE ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO FOLLOW ALONG.

WAS THAT SHOWING FOR EVERYBODY? YES.

EXCELLENT.

OKAY.

SO MOVING RIGHT ALONG, UH, AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, EVERY, OH, HOPEFULLY MY COMPUTER DOESN'T DIE.

I'LL HAVE TO BE QUICK.

UM, UH, EVERY YEAR THE, UH, GRANT FOR TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM GOES THROUGH A STRATEGIC PLANNING, UH, RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW, WHERE WE TAKE FEEDBACK FROM, UH, SURVEYS THAT ARE ADMINISTERED TO GRANT GRANTEES, UH, APPLICANTS, AND, UH, THE, THE, UH, GRANT REVIEWERS.

AND, UH, ALSO THE COMMISSION MEMBERS WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS.

UH, WE TAKE ALL OF THAT FEEDBACK AND COMBINE IT WITH STAFF, UH, ASSESSMENT OF NEEDS FOR THE PROGRAM AND COME UP WITH A SERIES OF RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE THEN PROVIDE TO,

[00:45:10]

OKAY.

WELL, YEAH, THAT WILL BE GREAT.

UH, MEANWHILE, UH, LET'S GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO FIGURE OUT A SOLUTION, UH, BRIEFLY, AND THEN TO PROCEED ME AGENDA WHILE HE GETS THAT WORKED OUT.

WE'LL GIVE HIM JUST A COUPLE OF MINUTES.

UH, COMMISSIONER'S SIDE.

WERE YOU ABLE TO DIAL BACK IN? WELL, IF I COULD ASK THE MISSION, UH, RATHER FOR PATIENTS SMALLER COMMISSIONERS, I'D LIKE TO GET SOME UP COMMUNICATION FROM THE CITY STAFF HOLDING THE CALL ABOUT THE STATUS OF JESSE'S ACCESS.

HELLO, UH, AMELIA KRISHNAN.

JOHN, ARE YOU STILL ON WITH, CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME? CAN YOU HEAR, YOU KNOW, JESSE? OH, THAT IS NOT WORKING BEAR WITH ME.

UH, AND THE MEANTIME, UH, ONE THING THAT MIGHT REALLY HELP THIS PROCESS, UH, WE'VE ALL BEEN SENT A COPY COMMENDATIONS AND OUR EMAIL.

JESSE'S TRYING TO PULL IT UP SO WE CAN FOLLOW ALONG.

IF EVERYONE COULD GO AHEAD AND PULL IT UP ON THEIR OWN, UH, THAT WILL HELP TO EXPEDITE THIS PROCESS.

UH, ONE THING THAT I'D LIKE TO INTERJECT, UH, IN THIS GAP IS THAT I WAS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN SEVERAL MEETINGS, ALONG WITH OTHER, UH, PARTICIPANTS TO SUBMIT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS.

AND I THINK YOU'LL FIND, UH, THEY ARE SOUND RECOMMENDATIONS.

ALTHOUGH WE WILL HAVE TO MOVE, WE HAVE TO DELIBERATE AND MAKE SOME CHOICES.

UH, HOPEFULLY JESSE WILL BE ABLE TO HELP TO LEAD THAT EFFORT.

UH, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, I'D LIKE EVERYONE TO COOK, TO MAKE USE OF THIS TIME, TO LOOK AT THE RECOMMENDATIONS THEMSELVES SO THAT WHEN, WHEN JESSICA COMES BACK ON, WE'LL BE ABLE TO PROCEED.

I CAN HEAR YOU.

OKAY.

UM, YEAH, LET ME TURN UP MY VOLUME CAUSE I CAN BARELY HEAR Y'ALL HEAR YOU COMMISSIONER.

DASGUPTA COMMISSIONER.

CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, I CAN HEAR EVERYONE.

OKAY, GREAT.

COMMISSIONER THOMPSON.

I CAN HEAR YOU.

THANK YOU.

AND THE COMMISSIONER GUIRO OKAY, GREAT.

THANK YOU.

AND IF THE COMMISSION SCIENCE, UH, WERE YOU ABLE TO REJOIN US? UM, IN THE MEANTIME, I BELIEVE COMMISSIONER SAY SAID HE NEEDED TO STEP OUT.

HE SENT ME A TEXT.

OKAY.

THANK YOU FOR THAT UPDATE, JESSE, WOULD THAT HAVE ONE THAT YOU HAVE, OR GOING TO HAVE FOR THE CALL AND WE CAN ALL HEAR YOU NOW COMMISSIONER, THAT FLOYD, YOU MAY HAVE STEPPED, LITERALLY STEPPED AWAY FOR A MOMENT.

OKAY.

YEAH, I'M BACK.

THERE'S SOME NUT BANGING ON MY DOOR.

I'M GOING TO GO SEE WHAT THAT'S ABOUT.

OKAY.

WE'VE WHAT YOU TO DO, JACKIE.

EXCELLENT.

UM, SHOULD I CONTINUE? YES, PLEASE.

ALL IT DID WAS INTERJECT, BUT I WANTED TO HAVE ONE IN THE MEANTIME TO PULL UP THE RECOMMENDATIONS

[00:50:01]

EXCELLENT.

UH, I APOLOGIZE FOR THE DISRUPTION MY HAD AT FULL BATTERY AN HOUR AGO, AND I CAN'T EXPLAIN IT.

UM, IN ANY CASE I WILL CONTINUE HERE EVERY YEAR.

WE DO AN ANALYSIS OR A SURVEY TO ALL OF OUR, UH, APPLICANTS, THE REVIEW PANEL AND THE COMMISSIONERS AND STAFF THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS FOR G TUFTS, UM, AND COME UP WITH, UH, SOME DATA THAT WE THEN ANALYZE AND, UH, PULL TOGETHER AND A SERIES OF RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, WHICH IS REPRESENTED IN THIS DOCUMENT HERE TODAY.

UH, THERE ARE THREE BUCKETS OF ITEMS THAT PATIENTS FALL UNDER.

THE FIRST IS ADJUSTMENTS TO THE APPLICATION PROCESS TO ENSURE A CLEARER AND MORE DIRECT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SCORING CRITERIA AND THE APPLICATION, AND TO DO BETTER WEIGHT, THE FOCUS AREAS.

THE SECOND CATEGORY IS CHANGES TO THE OVERALL CHIEF TUFTS STRUCTURE TO PROVIDE FOR EFFICIENCY AND CAN'T SUPPORT GRANTEES, AND TO ADJUST FOR THAT YOU TOP SCHEDULE TO ACCOMMODATE THE HOLIDAY MONTHS.

AND THE THIRD BUCKET IS TO EASE THE ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN OF REPORTING ON CONTRACTORS TOGETHER.

WE HOPE THAT THESE THREE CHANGES CAN GREATLY IMPROVE THE SERVICE DELIVERY AND CORE PROGRAM CAPACITY TO OUR LOCAL AUSTIN NONPROFIT GROUPS THAT BENEFIT FROM THE G TUFTS PROGRAM.

SO WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO JUMP INTO THE SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE ARE PUTTING IN FRONT OF ALL OF YOU TODAY.

UH, THE FIRST BUCKET ADJUSTMENTS TO THE APPLICATION AND SCORING PROCESS.

THE FIRST RECOMMENDATION IS TO REPLACE THE CURRENT FOCUS AREAS SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE, UH, THAT GUARANTEES FUNDING BASED ON A, UH, UH, A CAT CATEGORICAL, UH, SELECTIONS FROM THE ORGANIZATIONS WITH A NEW SYSTEM THAT WOULD GRANT BONUS POINTS TO ORGANIZATIONS THAT MEET THE FOCUS AREA CRITERIA.

A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON THAT IN PRIOR DETOX YEARS.

UH, WE ESSENTIALLY, WE HAD A NUMBER OF FOCUS AREAS, INCLUDING G TOPS, UH, G TOPS PRIORITY, OR THE G TOP SCHOOL AREAS.

UM, UH, WE HAD, UH, THE SIZE OF THE ORGANIZATION WAS A CATEGORY.

SO WE HAD A PRIORITY GIVEN TO SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS, UM, AND THERE WERE A COUPLE OF OTHER ONES, UM, AND ESSENTIALLY THE HIGHEST SCORING ORGANIZATION UNDER EACH FOCUS AREA WOULD GET FULLY FUNDED OR WOULD GET FUNDING RATHER, UM, THIS CHANGE INSTEAD OF, INSTEAD OF MAKING IT SO THAT HE, UH, THE HIGHEST GROWING ORGANIZATION, UH, IT JUST GETS FUNDED WHERE WE'RE PLACING, UH, WE'RE INSTEAD CHANGING IT.

SO THAT THERE'S A POINT SYSTEM SO THAT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU MEET THE CRITERIA OF A GIVEN FOCUS AREA, YOU'RE YOU GET BONUS POINTS THAT APPLY TO YOUR, YOUR TOTAL FULL SCORE THAT WAY.

UH, WE'RE NOT COMPLETELY DOING AWAY WITH, UH, THE, THE RANKING OF THE ORGANIZATION, UH, OUTSIDE OF, UH, THEIR, THEIR FOCUS AREA.

THAT'S RECOMMENDATION NUMBER.

THE SECOND RECOMMENDATION IS TO BETTER ALIGN THE G TOPS APPLICATION WITH THE SCORING CRITERIA AND TO SIMPLIFY THE APPLICATION LANGUAGE.

UM, ONE OF THE, UH, VERY CONSISTENT THINGS THAT WE HEAR IN FEEDBACK FROM RESPONDENTS IS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE US TO MAKE THE PROCESSES, UM, SIMPLE AS WE CAN AND AS, AS EASY TO COMPLETE AS POSSIBLE.

UM, SO ONE HALF OF THIS RECOMMENDATION IS FOR US TO, UM, UH, STREAMLINE THE APPLICATION ITSELF.

UM, AND THERE'S A SECOND PIECE OF FEEDBACK THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS, UH, AND THAT IS THAT OVER, UH, PAST ITERATIONS OF G TOPS, WE'VE INDEPENDENTLY AMENDED THE SCORING CRITERIA AND THE APPLICATIONS.

SO THEY'VE KIND OF BOTH GROWN IN AN INDEPENDENT FASHION AND THE GRANT REVIEWERS, UH, SOME OF THE FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED IS IT, IT WASN'T AS CLEAR AS IT COULD BE, UH, WHAT A PARTICULAR QUESTION ON THE G TOP SCORING CRITERIA, WHERE THEY WOULD FIND THAT INFORMATION IN THE APPLICATION.

SO THE EFFORT BEHIND THIS IS LARGELY TO ALIGN THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE IN THE APP, IN THE SCORING CRITERIA, WITH THE QUESTIONS THAT WE FIND IN THE CHEEK HOPS APPLICATION DIRECTLY.

SO THAT MAKING THOSE LINKAGES CLEAR, UM, MOVING ALONG, WE IN, WE ALSO HAVE THE BUCKET TO ADJUST, MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE STRUCTURE OF G TOPS.

UH, THIS IS ONE OF OUR MORE SIGNIFICANT, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS HERE, AND THAT IS

[00:55:01]

SO TWO MAIN COMPONENTS OF THIS, UH, DECISION POINT HERE ARE THAT, UH, LAST YEAR WE PILOTED THE CREATION OF A NEW GRANT PATHWAY CALLED G TOPS COLLABORATIVE, WHICH WAS A SINGLE $50,000 AWARD, UH, THAT WAS INTENDED TO, UH, INCENTIVIZE COLLABORATION BETWEEN G TOPS ORGANIZATIONS.

UM, WHAT THE RESULT OF THAT WAS, UH, IS OF COURSE THEY SEEK THAT FUNDING.

UH, WE HAD SIX APPLICATIONS FOR THAT SINGLE SLOT.

UM, AND WHAT WE FOUND WAS THAT THE, UH, WHAT THAT CAUSES AN ORGANIZATIONS THAT APPLY FOR DETOX COLLABORATIVE, MANY OF THEM ALSO APPLIED FOR G TOPS CORE, MEANING THAT THEY HAD TWO FULL APPLICATIONS TO DEVELOP THAT WERE SEPARATE, THAT WERE SEPARATE IN THE SAME TIMEFRAME.

AND SO, UH, IN ADDITION TO THAT, THERE WERE SOME ADMINISTRATIVE CHALLENGES WITH HAPPENING NEARLY IDENTICAL PATHWAYS, UH, RUNNING AT THE SAME TIME.

SO WHAT PART OF OUR RECOMMENDATION ARE PART OF THIS RECOMMENDATION IS THAT WE WANTED TO COMBINE THE TWO PATHWAYS INTO, UH, INTO ONE WITHOUT GETTING RID OF THE IDEA BEHIND G TUFTS COLLABORATIVE TO INCENTIVIZE COLLABORATION.

AND THE WAY THAT WE'RE PROPOSING TO DO THAT IS TAKING THE POPULAR COMPONENTS OF G TOPS COLLABORATIVE, COMBINING THEM WITH THE, UH, G TOPS CORE PATHWAY, UH, THAT BEING AN INCREASED, UH, CEILING FOR THE, UM, FOR THE AWARDS.

SO, UH, WHILE THE G TOPS COLLABORATIVE PATHWAY WAS UP AT $50,000, UH, YOU KNOW, WE COULD, WE DIDN'T THINK THAT WAS, WE THOUGHT THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT TOO HIGH FOR THE ENTIRE BUCKET OF FUNDING.

SO, UH, WE THOUGHT $35,000 WOULD BE MORE REASONABLE.

AND ALSO THE CEILING BEING RAISED IS, UH, PROBABLY THE NUMBER ONE MOST REQUESTED, UH, ITEM FOR G TUFTS CORE IN GENERAL.

ANYWAY, UM, SO THIS, THIS ONE CHANGE KIND OF GOT, UH, UH, TWO, TWO DIFFERENT, UH, ISSUES SOLVED AT THE SAME TIME.

UH, AND SO THIS G TOPS, UH, COLLABORATIVE WOULD BE ADDED AS A FOCUS AREA UNDER G TOP SCORE, MEANING THAT ORGANIZATIONS THAT IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AS A COLLABORATIVE AT SUBMITTING A COLLABORATIVE APPLICATION AND SUPPORTING THAT WITH A DRAFT MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WOULD GET BONUS POINTS ON THEIR GTL SCORE SUBMISSION.

UH, MOVING ALONG THE NEXT RECOMMENDATION IS TO ADJUST THE G TOP SCHEDULE TO ACCOMMODATE THE HOLIDAY MONTHS.