Oct 14, 2020 Special Community Technology & Telecommunications Commission

[00:00:01]

YOU'RE GOOD TO GO.

OKAY.

[CALL TO ORDER]

WHAT MYSELF COMMISSIONERS ARE OUR OFFENSE SIDE COMMISSIONER MALCOLM MEETS COMMISSIONER DAVID ALEXANDER, VICE CHAIR, COMMISSIONER DAY, FLOYD AND COMMISSIONER SUMIT NOT SCOOPED UP, NOT PRESENT AT THIS TIME.

OUR COMMISSIONERS, NICOLE THOMPSON, BEAVERS COMMISSIONER, MICHELLE REINHART AND COMMISSIONER SOPHIE YARROW.

OUR FIRST

[1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – October 9, 2020]

UH, THOSE WERE SENT OUT, UH, FAIRLY RECENTLY AS, UH, THEY TOOK SOME TIME TO BE UPDATED AS YOU, YOU KNOW, THAT PARTICIPATE IN THAT MEETING WAS A VERY ROBUST MEETING AND THERE'S QUITE A BIT IN THE MINUTES.

I'D LIKE TO GIVE EVERYONE A CHANCE TO LOOK OVER THOSE, AND THEN I'LL BE LOOKING FOR A MOTION TO APPROVE THEM AS PRESENTED IN A SECOND.

I WANT TO MENTION BEFORE, UH, THERE'S ANY RESPONSE OR FEEDBACK, UH, THAT IT WOULD BE AN UNREASONABLE EXPECTATION FOR US TO HAVE, UH, JESSE BE ABLE TO DICTATE THE FULL MEETING.

UH, AND SO THEREFORE THESE MINUTES ARE NOT MEANT TO SERVE THE TRANSCRIPT, MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.

OKAY.

I'VE GOT A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES ESTIMATED BY VICE CHAIR, DAVID ALEXANDER, AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER WAS THAT WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A VOTE ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MINUTES AS PRESENTED, PLEASE SAY AYE.

AYE.

ANYONE OPPOSED? OKAY, FAIR ENOUGH.

IS THERE ANYONE ELSE ABSTAINING? OKAY.

THEN WE HAVE A APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES BY THE VOTE OF FIVE TO ZERO WITH ONE ABSTENTION BY COMMISSIONER DAVID FLOYD, JUST A CLARIFICATION FROM THE CITY HERE.

A QUORUM HAS TO VOTE TO APPROVE.

SO IF WE HAVE AN ABSTENTION, THEN THE MINUTES ARE NOT APPROVED AND WE CAN REVISIT THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES AT THE NEXT MEETING, IF THAT IS NECESSARY.

YES, WELL, IT COULD BE WELL-SERVED, UH, I PERSONALLY WON'T PUSH TO HAVE THESE MINUTES APPROVED IMMEDIATELY, UH, RECOGNIZING THAT, UH, THERE'S NO INCLUSION OF ANY OF THE POLICY MAKER RESPONSES WHATSOEVER ALL THESE MINUTES.

AND THERE WERE SOME CLEAR RESPONSES AND QUESTIONS RAISED BY POLICYMAKERS.

SO I PERSONALLY PLAN ON GOING BACK AND LOOKING AT THE, AT THE EVENT OVER AGAIN

[00:05:01]

SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, I THINK WE CAN CONTINUE ON IN THE AGENDA AND THEN WE'LL BE ABLE TO READDRESS THESE, UH, THESE MINUTES AT OUR NEXT MEETING.

SO THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION.

UH, WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT POINT OF THE AGENDA.

AND BEFORE I DO, I WANT TO MAKE AN IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION, UH, ABOUT THE PROCESS, UH, AS

[2a. Presentation on the City of Austin Communications and Technology Management Department (CTM), digital equity and infrastructure (Chris Stewart, Interim Chief Information Officer)]

UNFORTUNATELY, I DIDN'T GET THAT LIST FROM, UH, COMMISSIONER EATS UNTIL LATE FRIDAY EVENING.

AND WITH THE BUSINESS OF THIS WEEK, I'VE ONLY JUST RECENTLY BEEN ABLE TO CREATE THE AGGREGATE, WHICH OF COURSE MEANS THAT MR. STEWART HAS NOT HAD A CHANCE TO REPLY DIRECTLY TO THESE QUESTIONS.

BUT THAT BEING SAID, I THINK THAT WITH THE QUESTIONS BEING THE TYPE OF QUESTIONS THAT THEY ARE, UH, WE SHOULD ALL FEEL COMFORTABLE, HOPEFULLY RAISING QUESTIONS, UH, AT THE END OF THIS PRESENTATION, LIKE WOULD, ANYWAY, I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND DISTRIBUTE THE LIST TO JESSE, TO SEND OUT TO THE COMMISSION SO THAT WE'VE GOT THE LIST AND SOME FEEL FREE TO ADD TO IT FOR YOUR OWN REFERENCE.

AND YOU'LL KNOW WHAT QUESTIONS ARE GOING TO BE ASKED THE BULK OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE SUBMITTED BY A COMMISSIONER, UH, NOT COMMITTEE.

SO THAT IS WAITING FOR YOU JESSE, TO COULD PLEASE DISTRIBUTE THAT TO THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS.

AT LEAST THEY CAN HAVE THAT AS A WORKING DOCUMENT DURING THIS PRESENTATION AND ADD QUESTIONS THEY MIGHT HAVE TO IT.

SO WITH THAT, WE'D NOW LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND WELCOME THE PRESENTATION ON THE CITY OF AUSTIN COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT, CTM EQUITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE BY CHRIS STEWART, THE INTERIM CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.

AND JESSE, ARE YOU GOING TO SHARE THE SLIDE I ASSUME? AND I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN TO MOVE FORWARD.

YEAH.

CHRIS, IF, IF YOU WANTED TO SHARE YOUR SCREEN, UH, THAT SO THAT YOU CAN RETAIN CONTROL THAT THAT IS OKAY WITH US, OR IF YOU WOULD PREFER FOR ME TO SHARE MY SCREEN, I CAN DO THAT.

AND YOU WOULD JUST PROMPT ME ONE TO MOVE AHEAD ALREADY.

GIVE ME A MOMENT TO PULL THE PRESENTATION UP THE COMMISSIONERS THAT WAS AWARE THAT THERE WOULD BE, UM, SO YOU'VE REALLY QUESTIONS I'LL ADJUST.

YOU KNOW, MY INTENT IS IF I CAN'T ANSWER ANYTHING THIS EVENING, UM, THAT YOU WILL GET ME THAT LIST OF QUESTIONS, I WILL, UM, GO GET THE ANSWERS FOR YOU AND PROVIDE THOSE, UM, THE EMAIL.

IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN'T ANSWER? I, MY, MY INTENT IS TO GO AND FIND THOSE FOR YOU.

THANK YOU.

WE APPRECIATE THAT.

BEAR WITH ME.

WE'RE HAVING TO PROMOTE ME TO MY, EVERYONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO FOLLOW THE PRESENTATION, DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION THAT WAS SENT IN AN EMAIL.

SO THAT MIGHT BE A LITTLE LESS CUMBERSOME.

I'M AFRAID IF THERE'S A PRESENTATION THAT'S BEING MADE.

UH, AND THERE'S A VISUAL AS PART OF IT, THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO SEE IT AS PART OF THE FEED.

SO IT'S NOT SUFFICIENT ENOUGH FOR US TO BE ABLE TO READ IT.

OH, RIGHT.

I FORGOT ABOUT THAT.

BEAR WITH US.

WE'RE HAVING TO TRANSFER IT TO THE IT, UH, STATION, JUST TO DO, WANT ME TO TRY TO SHARE FROM MINE.

YEAH.

YOU CAN TRY CERTAINLY IN THE INTERIM, IT'LL TAKE

[00:10:01]

OH, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S A GREAT OUT FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO SHARE.

IF THERE'S ANY COMMISSION THAT'S BOUND TO HAVE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES, IT'S GOING TO BE THE TECHNOLOGY COMMISSION.

AND THAT JUST GOES WITHOUT SAYING, ISN'T THAT A FACT, ALL THESE TECHNOLOGISTS, THAT'S HOW IT WORKS.

THIS IS DESIGNED TO EMBARRASS THIS COLLECTION.

WELL, THAT'S CERTAINLY ONE INTERPRETATION.

JESSE.

YOU'RE READY.

YES WE ARE.

ALL RIGHT.

JESSE CAN MOVE ON TO THE FIRST SLIDE I DID WANT TO INTRODUCE MY BUDDY PRESENT TODAY WAS AT A YEAR AGO, I PRESENTED TO YOU ALL, UM, AS THE AUSTIN WATER CIO AMI PROJECT.

UM, SO I BELIEVE I'VE MET ALL OF YOU, BUT I DO WANT TO GIVE A QUICK BACKGROUND OF MYSELF.

SO THIS IS A COMMUNITY COMMISSION.

I AM A LONG TIME RESIDENT OF AUSTIN, TEXAS, AND I GRADUATED CRACK IN HIGH SCHOOL IN SOUTH AUSTIN.

I'M STILL A DISTRICT FIVE RESIDENT, UM, THAT MY ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE IN COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS WENT TO SCHOOL HERE AT SAINT EDWARDS FOR MY BACHELOR'S UT RIO GRANDE FOR MY PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION DEGREE.

I HAVE A US US AIR FORCE VETERAN THIS PAST MONTH WAS MY 20TH YEAR WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

SO A LOT OF, A LOT OF TIME IN THE CITY.

UM, AND ALL THOSE YEARS WERE AT AUSTIN ENERGY CTM FOR MOST OF IT.

AND THEN MOST RECENTLY AUSTIN WATER AS THEIR CIO.

AND THEN OF COURSE, UM, FOR THE PAST ABOUT FIVE AND A HALF WEEKS, I'VE BEEN THE INTERIM CEO FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO I TALKED TO JESSE ABOUT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR HERE.

I'VE GOT PRETTY QUICK PRESENTATION ON JUST SOME THINGS THAT, UM, I TAKE A NOTICE TO THAT SEE TIM'S DOING, AND THEN I WANTED TO LEAVE PLENTY OF TIME FOR QUESTIONS AT THE END, BUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT AS I'VE BEEN KIND OF DIGGING INTO SORT OF CGM THE AUSTIN HEALTH FORCE IS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT PROJECT.

UH, WHAT THAT IS, THAT'S THE SALESFORCE APPLICATION PLATFORM, FRANKLY, THAT HAS TO PUBLIC HEALTH HAS BEEN USING TO MANAGE THROUGH THE COVID CRISIS.

THAT'S HOW THEY'RE DOING THEIR TESTING TRACKING.

IT'S HOW THEY'RE GOING TO BE DOING VACCINE TRACKING.

UM, IT'S, IT'S GOING TO BE AN OPERATIONAL TOOL FOR THEM ONGOING.

IT'S BEEN AN INCREDIBLE EFFORT, A GREAT WORK THAT'S HAPPENING THERE.

THEY'RE VERY HAPPY WITH, WITH THAT SOLUTION.

AND IT'S BEEN PRETTY INTEGRAL FOR THEM TO HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL.

UM, AMANDA, OUR PERMITTING SYSTEM IS GETTING INTO A MAJOR UPGRADE AND THAT WILL BE DONE HERE IN A FEW MONTHS.

UM, OBVIOUSLY THAT TOUCHES SO MANY DEPARTMENTS AND OUR DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY.

IT'S QUITE AN IMPORTANT APPLICATION FOR US.

TODD, ARCHITECTURE'S A BIG MOVE.

UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT HOW DO WE ARCHITECT THE CLOUD, SUCH THAT WE HAVE VISIBILITY AND SECURITY.

UM, WE ABLE TO PROVIDE SERVICES FROM THE CLOUD INSTEAD OF ONESY TWOSY DEPARTMENTS, WHERE THEIR OWN SOLUTIONS.

WE REALLY WANT TO BE ABLE TO BE READY TO PROVIDE SERVICES.

UH, WE RECENTLY INTRODUCED OUR SECOND CHAT BOT.

UM, COVID IS ONE OF THE ONES THAT WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED FOR OUR PUBLIC SAFETY FOLKS.

WE'RE LOOKING AT A POLICE RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, OUR CAD, WHICH IS OUR COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCH SYSTEM.

WE ARE GOING OUT FOR RFS ON BOTH.

UM, SO WE CAN LOOK AT WHAT'S AVAILABLE TO US.

AND THOSE PLATFORMS ARE VERY, VERY CRITICAL OBVIOUSLY TO, TO PUBLIC SAFETY, UM, OFFICE THREE 65, YOU ALL KNOW I'M SURE VERY WELL.

UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT ONBOARDING NEW TOOLS FOR THREE 65.

WE'RE LOOKING AT MODERNIZATION OF IT AND ARE IN THE USE THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

OBVIOUSLY WITH STAYED HOME, EVERYBODY, UH, WORKING FROM HOME OFFICE SIX 65 HAS BEEN CRITICAL.

THE ADOPTION OF THOSE TOOLS HAVE BEEN CRITICAL FOR PEOPLE TO, UH, REMAIN PRODUCTIVE, UH, WHILE SAFE WORKING AT HOME.

UH, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT SECURITY FEATURES OF THREE 65 AND WHICH ONES WE WANT TO IMPLEMENT MORE OF WHICH ONES WE NEED FURTHER EXPLORATORY LOOK INTO, BUT WE REALLY ARE

[00:15:01]

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I'M, I DID GET A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ON THIS ENCOMPASSES OUR, UH, CWDM DWDM INFRASTRUCTURE.

IT ENCOMPASSES OUR RPR UPGRADES AND REFRESH ON THE, ON THE COTTON RINGS.

BOTH OF THOSE PROJECTS SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY MAY, JUNE OF 2021.

SO WE'RE ABOUT 60% OF THE WAY THERE RIGHT NOW IS WHAT I'M BEING TOLD.

UM, BUT THAT'S, OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE IT DONE BY JUNE OF 2021 AND INTERNET CONNECTIVITY.

WE HAVE RECENTLY MOVED TO OUR DATA CENTER TO A BACKUP DATA CENTER.

SO WE NOW HAVE OUR COLO, WE HAVE TWO INTERNET PIPES THERE.

UM, WE HAVE OUR, WE HAVE OBVIOUSLY INTERNET PIPE AT OUR BACKUP DATA CENTER AS WELL.

UM, WE'VE LOOKED AT CAPACITY, ESPECIALLY WITH OUR WAY ON WORK FROM HOME AND PUBLIC ACCESS.

RIGHT NOW WE'RE HITTING ABOUT 20 TO 30% OF OUR INTERNET CAPACITY.

AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY LOOKING GOOD THERE.

UH, WE HAVE NOT REACHED ANYTHING WHERE WE'RE WORRIED WITH BEGAN CONNECTIVITY AND ALL THE, UM, EXTRA ACCESS PEOPLE ARE USING TO GET IN AND OUT OF OUR NETWORKS.

WE ARE, UM, CAPABLE OF MANAGING THAT LOAD, UM, QUITE WELL.

AND WE HAVE SOME, SOME ROOM TO GROW.

SO WE'RE REALLY HAPPY ABOUT THAT.

OUR PUBLIC ACCESS, OUR LIBRARIES ARE 100%, UM, FULL GIG ACCESS TO ALL OF OUR LIBRARIES, OUR REC CENTERS.

WE'RE ABOUT 60%.

UM, THAT'S TIED MORE TO THE, UM, NETWORK REFRESHES THAT WERE, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, UM, AND FOR REC CENTERS, WE'RE ALSO IMPLEMENTING OUR WIFI SO THAT WE CAN HAVE PUBLIC WIRELESS ACCESS TO ALL OF OUR RECORDS.

NEXT SLIDE SECURITY IS OBVIOUSLY A MAJOR FOCUS.

I KNOW THAT YOU WERE GOING TO TALK TO OUR NEW CISSO.

SO SURELY HERB CAME TO US A COUPLE MONTHS AGO AS OUR NEW CHIEF INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICER.

UM, SHE'S ACTUALLY TAKEN THE, UH, THE ISO, WHICH IS THE INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICE.

IT HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM CTM AND NO LONGER REPORTS TO THE CIO.

UM, THE, THE NEW CISCO REPORTS DIRECTLY TO RAY ARIANO, BUT IT'S JUST THE CITY MANAGER OVER SAFETY.

SO THAT'S NO LONGER AN IT FUNCTION.

UM, TWO OF US HAVE BEEN VERY CLOSE SINCE HER ARRIVAL WHERE SHE'S DOING GREAT THINGS OVER THERE.

SHE'S REALLY GETTING THAT TEAM, UM, FORMED IN THE WAY THAT SHE FEELS IS GOING TO BEST PROTECT THE CITY.

SO I THINK THAT'S A REALLY GREAT, UH, GREAT THING FOR THE CITY TO HAVE, HAVE THAT TEAM, UM, TO HAVE THAT ASSIST.

SO REALLY FOCUSING ON, UM, WHAT, HOW TO SECURE US AS A ORGANIZATION.

I TAN THIS IS IT MANAGEMENT.

THIS IS THE ONE, OKAY.

THE FOUNDATIONS TO BEING SECURE.

ONE OF THE THINGS YOU LOOK AT WHEN YOU TALK, AND THIS IS HOW WE'RE GOING TO KNOW, WE HAVE, THAT'S QUITE A LARGE PROJECT.

UM, WE ARE ROLLING WITH IT RIGHT NOW.

OUR FOCUS IS GOING TO BE HARDWARE.

SO PARTICULARLY ENDPOINTS, MAKING SURE WE KNOW WHAT COMPUTERS ARE OUT THERE, THINGS LIKE THAT, NETWORK DEVICES, UM, WE EVENTUALLY WANT TO ROLL INTO APPLICATION MANAGEMENT, DATA MANAGEMENT, UM, AND EVEN ON PREM AND CLOUD.

SO NO MATTER WHERE OUR DATA IS, NO MATTER WHERE APPLICATIONS ARE, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE THEM AND BE ABLE TO TRACK THEM.

AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CISCO HAS ACCESS TO.

SO THAT, THAT GROUP ALWAYS KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON.

CITYWIDE.

UM, ENDPOINT MANAGEMENT IS A BIG, UM, TOPIC RIGHT NOW.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE AGAIN, THAT OUR END POINTS ARE MANAGED WELL, THAT IT'S TYPICALLY THE, THE POINT OF VIEW OF INGRESS FOR A LOT OF OUR ATTACKS IS THOSE END POINTS.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE KNOW WHAT IS WE HAVE, AND THAT THEY'RE PROTECTED AT ALL TIMES, REGARDLESS OF THE METHOD IN WHICH THEY'RE CONNECTING TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN, THEN I'LL THE SERVICE PROTECTIONS.

UM, OBVIOUSLY DENIAL OF SERVICE AS A, A TOOL THAT, UM, THE FOLKS ARE OUT THERE USING TO DISRUPT PRIMARILY.

UM, THEY LIKE TO DISRUPT THE PUBLIC ENTITIES LIKE STATES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.

UM, SCHOOL SYSTEMS IS ANOTHER ONE WHERE THEY JUST OVERLOAD AND OVERWHELM YOUR, UH, CAPACITY.

UM, SO WE'RE LOOKING, WE, WE HAVE PROTECTIONS IN PLACE NOW TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, WHEN WE ARE HIT WITH THOSE TYPES OF ATTACKS, THAT WE CAN EASILY RECOVER, UH, ALONG THE SAME LINE AS RANSOMWARE, RANSOMWARE IS SOMETHING WE LOOK TO PROTECT FROM.

UM, BUT MOST OF THE, MOST OF THE TIME RANSOMWARE PROTECTION IS END USER, UM, KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION, AND JUST BEING CAREFUL AND CAUTIOUS.

SO WE LOOK AT RANSOMWARE RECOVERY, VERY CAREFULLY, MAKING SURE THAT IF ANYTHING DID HAPPEN, UM, WE WERE ABLE TO RECOVER QUICKLY, OUR PERIMETER PROTECTION.

SO AS WE TALK ABOUT SENDING PEOPLE HOME AND SENDING

[00:20:01]

SO WE'RE DEFINING WHAT WHAT'S A PERIMETER IN A WORLD WHERE PEOPLE WORK FROM ANYWHERE AND HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE PROTECT THAT? SO WE'RE REALLY FOCUSING ON MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT PROTECTION FOR THE CITY, UM, AS FAR AS SECURITY AND PRIVACY AND THEN END USER TRAINING.

SO THIS IS A GOAL OF, FROM THE, UM, SO, UM, THEY HAVE BEEN PUTTING OUT A LITTLE BIT, FIVE MINUTE CLIPS EVERY MONTH FOR TRAINING VIDEOS FOR ALL CITY EMPLOYEES, UM, FOR US TO, TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT MIGHT A PHISHING EMAIL LOOK LIKE AND WHAT IS A VIRUS AND IS A VIRUS AND JUST BASIC SKILLS FOR ALL EMPLOYEES, TO BE ABLE TO BE AWARE WHEN THEY'RE ON A CITY RESOURCE, HOW TO PROTECT THAT RESOURCE DIGITAL EQUITY IS A BIG TOPIC.

I KNOW THAT'S ONE THAT, UM, THERE WAS A ROUND TABLE ON RECENTLY WITH YOUR TEAM.

UM, A LOT OF WORK IS HAPPENING AROUND THE CITY AND A LOT OF WORK AT CTM.

SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING FOR AWHILE NOW, YOU WILL KNOW IS THAT TARA WORKING WITH DEVICE DEPLOYMENTS.

SO AS WE, AS A CITY MOVE TO, UM, UPGRADE OUR ENDPOINTS, WE TAKE THOSE DEVICES, GIVE THEM OVER TO TERRORISTS SO THAT THEY CAN THEN GIVE THEM BACK TO THE COMMUNITY, ASSESSABLE IMPORTANT, STEPPING, GIVING, UM, GIVING COMMUNITY DEVICES SO THAT THEY CAN CONNECT.

UM, CTM IN PARTICULAR HAS A HIGH SCHOOL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM.

THAT'S THE WAY THAT WE, WE REALLY TRY TO LOOK OUT FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITY IN OUR DIVERSITY, GETTING, GETTING YOUNG, UM, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS INTO IT, GETTING THEM INTO LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

UM, IT'S AN IMPORTANT CAREER.

WE BELIEVE IN SOMETHING THAT WE WANT PEOPLE STRIVING TOWARDS.

UM, WE DO HAVE A COLLABORATION WITH DELL VALLEY ISD AND UT, UM, THAT IS, UH, SOME HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS DEDICATED TO, UM, SORRY, THAT'S NOT SORRY.

THERE'S NO MONEY ATTACHED TO THAT.

THAT IS CREATING AN ALIGNING A CURRICULUM, UM, FOR AUTONOMY, DIGITAL AI, FOR THOSE FUTURE JOBS FOR THESE STUDENTS.

AND YOU ALL PROBABLY KNOW THAT DELL VALLEY ISD HAS A GREAT PROGRAM WITH, UM, COLLABORATING WITH GETTING THESE STUDENTS TO GRADUATE WITH AN ASSOCIATES DEGREE RIDER SCHOOL.

THEY'VE GOT SOME ROBOTICS STUFF.

IT'S PRETTY WONDERFUL THINGS HAPPENING THERE.

SO THAT COLLABORATION WITH UT AND THE VALLEY IS, IS PRETTY WONDERFUL.

THE UT AUSTIN SOCIAL GOOD PROJECT IS A $700,000 AI PROJECT THAT THEY'VE DEEMED THEY'VE CALLED SOCIAL GOOD.

THERE'S ABOUT SEVEN PROJECTS THERE THAT CTM IS FACILITATING TO WORK ON, MAKING SURE AGAIN WHAT AI IS AND HOW IT CAN BE USED FOR GOOD.

CAUSE WE HAVE HEARD SOME, UH, WE ALL KNOW ABOUT AI AND ITS ABILITY TO EXACERBATE, UM, SOME ISSUES THAT WE DON'T WANT TO MAKE.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE IT DON'T HAPPEN.

AI AND, AND RACIAL JUSTICE.

SO AGAIN, WE'RE UT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, UM, LOOKING AT POLICY AND TECHNOLOGY, UH, RESEARCH ON USING AI THAT INTENTIONALLY, UM, CONSIDERS EQUITY IN THE ALGORITHMS IN WHAT IT'S DOING, UM, IN ITS DESIGN, UM, AND THE USAGE OF, OF AI.

THE IN PARTICULAR, THE COVID-19 CHAT BOT FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS ONE THAT'S BEING TESTED FOR BIAS RIGHT NOW, AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY AND ASD DIGITAL EQUITY, UH, ROOSEVELT, THE DIRECTOR OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARIES.

HE IS, UM, THE, A MEMBER OF A BOARD MEMBER OF THE URBAN LIBRARIES COUNCIL, EXECUTIVE BOARD.

HE IS PULLING TOGETHER MYSELF, UM, RON DELLA HAWKINS WITH TARA, UM, AND ABUTS THE DIRECTOR OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS WITH ASD TO TALK ABOUT DIGITAL EQUITY.

UM, IN, IN THE URBAN LIBRARIES COUNCIL, THEY'VE TALKED ABOUT HOW LIBRARIES CAN MEET THE NEEDS OF CITIZENS.

AND I KNOW IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, THEY'RE ALSO DOING SOME OF THE SAME TALKS.

SO THIS IS THE WAY FOR US ALL TO GET IN THE SAME ROOM AND THAT'S HAPPENING NEXT WEEK, UM, TO SEE WHERE, WHERE ARE THE POINTS THAT WE CAN ADDRESS? WHAT CAN WE DO AS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT? UM, SO I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT MEETING TO SEE WHAT OTHER FOLKS ARE THINKING.

AUTONOMOUS INFRASTRUCTURE IS, UM, THAT REACHES OUT INTO DIGITAL EQUITY.

AND IT'S REALLY ABOUT A, YOU KNOW, A MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY THAT CAN BE USED FOR MANY, MANY PURPOSES.

UM, I'VE ALSO, I'VE GIVEN JESSE A, UM, PDF TO SEND TO YOU ALL THAT TALKS MORE ABOUT THAT.

UM, IT'S QUITE A SIGNIFICANT EFFORT, UM, BUT IT'S, IT'S REALLY EXCITING.

IT'S REALLY KIND OF CUTTING

[00:25:01]

UM, BUT AGAIN, PROVIDING MORE OF THAT INFRASTRUCTURE OUT THERE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO USE FOR MANY PURPOSES.

AND THEN OF COURSE OUR PEER CITY NETWORKING.

UM, WE WANT TO MEET WITH SAN ANTONIO, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY HAVE A COUPLE OF PROJECTS RIGHT NOW WHERE THEY'RE FOCUSING ON THEIR STUDENTS WHO DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO INTERNET.

UM, THEY'RE DOING A, AN LTE PROJECT, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE SOUTHWEST DISTRICT.

UM, THAT'S A STOP GAP THAT THEY'RE SAYING, YOU KNOW, THEY KNOW IT'S NOT A LONGTERM SOLUTION, UH, BUT THEY ARE DOING SOME THINGS OUT THERE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK AT TO SEE IF WE CAN BRING THEM BACK TO AUSTIN AND SEE IF THERE ARE THINGS THAT, THAT WE CAN IMPLEMENT TO HELP OUT, UM, AISD OR SCHOOLS OR ANY SCHOOLS AROUND AUSTIN.

UM, OR AGAIN, JUST THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN GENERAL GRADUATING.

SO THAT WAS THE PRESENTATION GUY.

I DID LEAVE IT PRETTY SHORT SO THAT I KNEW THERE WAS A BUNCH OF QUESTIONS.

UM, SO I'M READY.

AND AGAIN, JESSE, IF THEY'RE ONES THAT I CAN'T ANSWER RIGHT NOW, OR I DON'T HAVE ANSWERS TO, IF YOU COULD DOCUMENT SO THAT I COULD BRING THEM BACK TO YOU SO YOU CAN ADDRESS, UM, THE COMMISSIONER.

ABSOLUTELY.

I'LL BE TAKING NOTES IN IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU CAN'T ANSWER, I'LL DOCUMENT THEM.

AND AS TIRPITZ MENTIONED, WE'RE ALSO COLLECTING SOME ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ON THE BACK END THAT WE WILL SHARE AS SOON AS THEY ARE AVAILABLE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT PRESENTATION.

UH, REALLY APPRECIATE YOU SHARING PARTICULARLY, YOU KNOW, CATCHING A MOVING SHIP AND YOU TAKING THE HELM AS SANDRA AND CIO.

UH, I KNOW THAT THERE ARE, UH, SEVERAL QUESTIONS THAT, UH, MY COLLEAGUE COMMISSIONER MALCOLM UTES HAS, HAS RAISED.

I'D LIKE TO GIVE HIM A FLOOR, GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO GO AHEAD AND JUMP INTO SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS AND THEN OPEN IT UP TO OTHER KINDS OF COMMISSIONERS.

ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT PRESENTATION ON A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS WERE ANSWERED IN THAT PRESENTATION.

MAINLY I WAS INTERESTED IN THE NETWORK ROLL OUT AND HOW THAT WAS GOING ALONG.

SO I THINK YOU'VE MAINLY ANSWERED THAT AND ALSO ABOUT THE INTERNET.

SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.

THE ONLY OTHER QUESTIONS I HAD, UH, PERTAIN TO THE BLUE LEAKS THAT'S BEEN IN THE NEWSPAPER AND WHAT'S BEING DONE ABOUT THAT, BUT MAYBE THAT SHOULD BE A SEPARATE TOPIC.

DO YOU HAVE ANY INITIAL REACTION TO THAT, UH, CHRIS AT THIS TIME? SURE.

I MEAN, I THINK EVERYBODY, YOU ALL KNOW MORE THAN THE MOST, THE SENSITIVITY TO THAT TOPIC.

UM, WE ARE LOOKING AT IN GENERAL, I CAN SPEAK TO THINGS THAT WOULD ALSO HELP, UM, INCIDENTS LIKE THAT FROM HAPPENING.

WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR VENDOR MANAGEMENT CONTRACT MANAGEMENT, WE'RE LOOKING AT THIRD PARTY MONITORING, CAUSE THOSE ARE ALL THINGS.

OBVIOUSLY THIS WAS A SAS SOLUTION.

UM, THAT WAS ATTACKED.

THERE WERE, I BELIEVE OVER 200 LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES THAT WERE AFFECTED.

UM, SO THIS WASN'T AN INTERNAL SYSTEM.

THIS WAS, UH, A USE CASE WHERE THIS WAS A PRODUCT THAT CLOUD BASE KNOW SAS PRODUCT, UM, THAT WAS ATTACKED IN, IN WHOLE AND AUSTIN WAS AFFECTED.

SO THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE COULD, WE NEED TO BE DOING TO BE MORE PROACTIVE IN THOSE AREAS.

WE BELIEVE.

UM, PROBABLY SURELY THE SYSTEM IS A BETTER PERSON TO SPEAK TO THE SECURITY.

UM, OBVIOUSLY WE WANT TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT, UM, HOW DETAILED WE GET IN DESCRIBING THOSE IN A PUBLIC FORUM THOUGH, RIGHT? THAT'S ENTIRELY UNDERSTANDABLE, UH, AND APPRECIATE YOUR CANDOR AND RELAYING THAT.

UH, I'VE GOT, UH, ONE THAT LIKES TO GET TO, BUT I'D LIKE TO GIVE THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS A CHANCE TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS THAT MIGHT HAVE AT THIS TIME.

WELL, IF THERE ARE NO OTHER QUESTIONS, THEN I'LL GO AHEAD AND, AND, UH, SHARE WITH YOU.

I RECENTLY RECEIVED A CALL AND A VOICE MESSAGE.

ALTHOUGH I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO RESPOND, UH, FROM A REPORTER AT KX AM REGARDING A TIP THEY CLAIM TO HAVE RECEIVED ABOUT CONCERNS FOR, UH, THE MONEY.

I DON'T WANT TO MISQUOTE THEM, BUT THEY ESSENTIALLY

[00:30:01]

UH, THIS IS JUST WHAT THEY RELATE IN THE VOICE MESSAGE, UH, ABOUT WASTEFUL PROCESSES TO BE IN PARTICULAR.

THAT WAS, UH, THE SPECIFIC QUOTE.

ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I HAD WAS IN LIGHT OF THAT INQUIRY, WHICH I'VE YET TO RESPOND TO.

UM, IF CTM WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A, AN OFFICIAL RESPONSE AND FIFTH, AT SOME POINT YOU COULD PROVIDE DETAIL ABOUT THE COLLABORATION THAT TOOK PLACE BETWEEN, UH, THE COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE AND CTM IN RELATION TO THE WEBSITE REDESIGN AND LAUNCH.

SO I CAN DEFINITELY GET YOU MORE ON THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE CPI AND CTM.

THANK YOU.

I KNOW WE WERE DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN APPROVING, UH, ACCESSIBILITY FUNDING, UH, FUNDING THAT WAS FOCUSED REALLY ON IMPROVING THE ACCESSIBILITY OF THE SITE, MAKING SURE THAT IT WAS ACCESSIBLE TO MORE RESIDENTS, UH, WITH CHALLENGES AND WHETHER THE VISUAL OR HEARING IMPAIRMENT AND OTHER, OTHER THINGS THAT THEY STRUGGLE WITH.

UM, AND WE FELT VERY VALIDATED IN THAT RECOMMENDATION AS A COMMISSION.

UH, HAVING SAID THAT THAT WAS ABOUT THE EXTENT OF OUR OVERSIGHT.

AND THEN WE WERE BASICALLY WAITING TO SEE THE ROLLOUT THAT TOOK PLACE A COURT SOMETIME AFTER, UM, THIS PAST FALL.

SO WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING ABLE TO FOLLOW UP WITH THAT WILL DO.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS.

OKAY.

WELL, THANK YOU.

UH, YOU, UH, THAT INVITATION STILL FANS APPRECIATE YOU, UH, HAVE BEEN TIMELY WITH THOSE.

I REALIZED I WAS, I WAS NEUTERED, SO THAT'S WHY NOBODY HEARD ME.

IT TURNS ME OFF.

SO WE GO RIGHT.

GO RIGHT AHEAD, PLEASE.

OKAY.

SO I HAVE FOUR QUESTIONS.

ONE IS AMANDA UPGRADE WILL MAKE FORMATTING SMOOTHER, FASTER.

WE KEEP HEARING FROM THE VENDORS AND SUPPLIERS THAT AUSTIN IS GLOBAL TO MARGARET.

SO WILL IT MAKE IT SMOOTHER, FASTER? I BELIEVE THE UPGRADE IS GOING TO PROVIDE US THE ABILITIES TO DO THAT.

UM, YOU ALL PROBABLY KNOW AMANDA IS VERY COMPLEX.

UM, THERE'S A LOT OF PROCESSES THAT HAPPEN.

A LOT OF DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THAT.

UM, AND THE NEW, THE NEW FUNCTIONALITY IN AMANDA HOPEFULLY ALLOWS DEPARTMENTS TO CREATE BETTER DIGITAL PROCESSES.

AND THAT'S BEEN AN ONGOING EFFORT WITH AMANDA IS ALL DEPARTMENTS.

UM, I KNOW WHEN I WAS AT WATER, A BIG, BIG PORTION OF WHAT WE WERE DOING IN AMANDA WAS DIGITIZING AND TRYING TO MAKE THINGS WHERE YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO COME IN WITH BIG REAMS OF PAPER.

UM, AND I REMEMBER THE, THERE WAS A PRESENTATION ON OUR JAZZ FOLKS HAD WORKED ON HOW DO WE GET MUCH, MUCH LESS PAPER? AND THEY DON'T JUST BRING IN LIKE A PIECE OF NOTEBOOK PAPER.

THERE ARE THESE HUGE REAMS, UM, THAT WERE MANY INCHES THICK, THESE ROLES OF, YOU KNOW, THREE FOOT PAPER.

AND THEY WERE CARRYING THEM AROUND ALL THE TIME AND NOW THEY DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT.

AND THEY HAD TO DO IT IN DUPLICATE OFTEN.

UM, SO IT IS, IT'S A LOT OF STEPS IN THOSE PROCESSES AND WE ARE DIGITIZING THOSE AND THIS SHOULD HELP US GET THERE.

GOOD.

THEN DO YOU MENTION THE CAD AND RMS? WHAT ARE THESE ACRONYMS? I NOTICE QUITE A NUMBER OF ACRONYMS. IT IS W DROPPED OR NOT.

I HAVE NO IDEA.

I KNOW WHAT GAD IS, BUT THAT'S MY BUSINESS.

I KNOW WHAT THAT IS.

COULD WE DESIGN? SO RMS IS A RECORD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN PARTICULAR.

THIS IS THE APE RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.

UM, APN USES IT TO WHENEVER YOU COULD CALL THREE ONE, OR WHEN YOU CALLED NINE 11, SORRY.

UM, AND YOU HAVE A RECORD THAT'S CREATED THAT.

THAT'S WHERE IT STARTS.

ANYTHING THEY DO AS A POLICE OFFICER ENDS UP BACK IN THE RMS SYSTEM.

UH, RIGHT NOW THAT SYSTEM IS CALLED VERSADEX AND ALSO THE FIRE ARSON INVESTIGATOR.

OKAY.

THE PAD FOR PUBLIC SAFETY IS COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCH.

THAT'S THE NINE ONE ONE SYSTEM.

YES.

OKAY.

I'M FAMILIAR WITH THAT.

ALSO YOU DO ACRONYMS, YOU'RE LEADING TO A NETWORK MODERNIZATION AND THAT COMPLETELY THREW ME OFF.

SO SPECIFIC TO NETFORM CLEVER PHYSICIANS.

WHAT ARE THE KEY

[00:35:01]

AND I BET MALCOLM WOULD KNOW THE HECK A LOT MORE ABOUT THIS THAN I DO.

THAT IS GOING TO BE OUR, HER LAYER ONE, OUR, OUR AD, UH, UM, THIS IS HOW WE GET OUR FIBER INFRASTRUCTURE.

IT'S HOW WE GET OUR BASE LEADER COMMUNICATIONS AROUND THE CITY.

SO WE'RE, WE'RE REFRESHING UPGRADING OUR CORE FOUNDATIONAL NETWORKING INFRASTRUCTURE.

OKAY.

UH, MY LAST QUESTION ACTUALLY IS, UH, IS ANY SORT OF LIKE A DOUBLE QUESTION.

YOU TALKING ABOUT SECURITY.

THERE ARE, WHO ARE IN COMMISSIONS.

SOME OF US HAVE , SOME OF US ARE PASSPORTS.

SOME OF US ARE NOT.

SO THAT IS THE CHALLENGE WITH ALL THESE PIPES COMING IN RIGHT NOW, IF YOU USE FROM HOME WITH, UH, SOMETIMES PASSWORDS THAT CAN BE BROKEN, HOW DO YOU HANDLE SECURITY UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES? AND THE SECOND PART OF IT IS THAT IF YOU'RE DEVELOPING ALL OF THESE KEY CAPABILITIES, HOW MUCH OF IT IS BASED ON OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE, UH, SHARING WITH OTHER CITIES, ET CETERA, THAT COULD CREATE EXPOSURES OF THEIR OWN.

SO HOW ARE YOU BALANCING ALL OF THOSE FROM A SECURITY POINT OF VIEW? THE FIRST THING WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE TRYING TO GET CONTROL.

UM, SO WE'VE HAD A COUPLE, YOU KNOW, AUDITS AND ASSESSMENTS THAT ARE LOOKING AT, UM, SECURITY AND TECHNOLOGY, AND IT'S IDENTIFYING THAT MOST TECHNOLOGY IS IT MANAGED BY CTM.

SO THE MOST TECHNOLOGY SPEND IS IT MANAGED BY CTM.

SO MOST PROCUREMENTS AREN'T, DON'T GO THROUGH CTM.

UM, THEY'RE IN THE BUSINESS UNITS BECAUSE THEY KNOW WHAT THE BUSINESS NEEDS, THEY KNOW HOW TO SUPPORT, UM, THEIR FUNCTIONS.

AND THAT'S OKAY.

THAT'S NOT INHERENTLY INSECURE OR ANY EFFECTIVE, BUT WE NEED BETTER WAYS TO MANAGE THEM CENTRALLY AND AT LEAST HAVE A VIEW CENTRALLY.

SO THAT IS AN EFFORT THAT BOTH SHIRLEY AND I, THE CISSO ARE LOOKING AT FROM IT.

UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT PROCUREMENT PROCESSES RIGHT NOW.

UM, WE HAVE AN EFFICIENCY ASSESSMENT THAT WE'RE DOING ON SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING CTM.

THAT'S LOOKING AT OUR PROCUREMENT.

UH, THERE IS A PROCUREMENT AUDIT FROM THE CITY AUDITOR THEY'RE DOING, THAT'S DEDICATED TO TECHNOLOGY PURCHASING.

SO WE'RE GOING TO GET THAT GOOD VIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM, UM, FROM THEM ON HOW DO WE GET A BETTER HANDLE ON WHAT'S HAPPENING OUT THERE? CAUSE, CAUSE YOU'RE RIGHT.

UM, IT, IT EXISTS IN MANY FORMS AND FACTORS AND DIFFERENT ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROLS.

AND WE ALL RECOGNIZE THAT WE REALLY DO NEED TO GET A BETTER GRASP OF EVEN IF YOU'RE GOING TO ADMINISTER IT, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO AT LEAST CENTRALLY KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE FINDING EFFICIENCIES WHERE THEY CAN BE FOUND.

AND WE ARE SECURING THINGS FROM DAY ONE, NOT AFTER WE FIND OUT THE EXIST AND THEN RETROACTIVELY GOING OUT AND FINDING WAYS TO SECURE THEM.

THANK YOU.

THAT'S ALL I HAVE CHIP IT'S.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

WELL, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR ALLENTOWN? YES.

UM, I'D LIKE TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE AMPLIFICATION ON WHAT COMMISSIONER BROUGHT UP AND REALLY, UM, IS ABOUT IT GOVERNANCE AND HAVING ONE ORGANIZATION OR THE CITY THAT IS RESPONSIBLE TECHNOLOGY PURCHASES.

AND IT SEEMS LIKE YOU DO NOT HAVE A HANDLE ON THAT YET, AND THAT ANY ENTERPRISE DEPARTMENT CAN GO OUT AND PRETTY MUCH BUY WHATEVER THEY WANT.

AND IT SEEMS THAT NOW IN THE AGE, WHEN EVERYONE'S GOING TO THE CLOUD, ANYONE CAN GO TO ANY CLOUD SERVICE.

IT SEEMS LIKE A REAL DANGER TO ME.

SO WHERE ARE WE ON THE, UH, THE ISSUE OF ID GOVERNANCE IS THERE'S NOW SOME KIND OF A CITY BOARD OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT FOR THAT.

SO THE IT STEERING COMMITTEE, UH, IS THE HIGHEST LEVEL THERE, THERE, THERE WAS SOME GOVERNANCE PUT IN PLACE SEVERAL YEARS AGO.

UM, THERE WAS THE THING CALLED THE D DECK, WHICH DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS, UM, COMMITTEE THAT LOOKED AT THE TOP PROJECTS THAT C TIM WOULD BE FUNDING AND SUPPORTING.

THAT'S HOW THEY WORKED ON CAPITOL PROJECT.

UM, TYPICALLY AROUND BUDGET APPROVALS THAT I'VE NOTICED HAS FALLEN TO THE SIDE THAT GOVERNANCE IN PARTICULAR, IT GOVERNANCE IN THE CITY REALLY DOESN'T EXIST IN ITS FORM THAT WE NEEDED TO.

SO THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I NEED TO WORK ON.

UM, AND THAT IS FROM, UM, THE CITY AUDITOR CAME THROUGH SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND THEY, THEY DID DEEM THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S CIO

[00:40:01]

SO THAT IS AN AREA THAT I WILL HAVE TO ADDRESS.

OKAY.

SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE COMMISSION SHOULD GET REGULAR UPDATES ON SO THAT THEY CAN ACT AS A CITIZEN ADVOCATE FOR OUR NEW CIO, UM, TO HELP WITH THIS, UH, WHOLE PROCESS OF IT GOVERNANCE, BECAUSE IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

THANK YOU FOR ELEVATING THAT COMMISSIONER NEEDS.

I AGREE WITH YOUR STATEMENT AND YOUR SENTIMENT.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS AT THIS POINT? OKAY.

WITH THAT WE REALLY WANT TO THANK YOU AGAIN, CHRIS, FOR JOINING US THIS EVENING, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING BACK FROM YOU IN THE FUTURE AND WORKING WITH YOU.

OF COURSE.

THANK YOU ALL.

AND GOOD LUCK.

THANK YOU.

AND GOOD NIGHT.

YOU TOO.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

ALL RIGHT, WE'LL

[2b. Presentation on Affordable Internet Options in Austin and Lived Experience with the Digital Divide (Catherine Crago - Head of Strategic Initiatives - Housing Authority of the City of Austin & Austin Pathways and Alexis Henderson, Rosewood Council Head)]

THAT'S GOING TO BE TAKING PLACE BY CATHERINE CRAIGO, THE HEAD OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES WITH THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND AUSTIN PATHWAYS, AS WELL AS, UH, WITH ALEXIS HENDERSON, ROSEWOOD COUNCIL HEAD.

AND, UH, THERE MAY BE ANOTHER PERSON JOINING AS WELL THIS EVENING.

UH, I WANT TO MAKE SURE, UH, BUT I KNOW THAT TO BE TRUE.

UM, AND IF SO, THEN I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I SAY HER NAME CORRECTLY.

WE DO NOT HAVE KIMBERLY ON THE LINE AT THE MOMENT.

OKAY.

THAT WOULD BE A KIMBERLIN ACTUALLY, UH, BUT KIPP KIMBERLIN, BUT FOR KIMBERLYN WILL NOT BE JOINING US, UH, AT THE MOMENT.

UH, BUT WITH THAT THOUGH, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND THEN HAND IT OVER TO KATHERINE AND TO, UH, EXCUSE ME TO MS. CREGO AND TO MS. HENDERSON.

THANK YOU, CHAIR PITS AND GOOD EVENING.

GOOD EVENING.

COMMISSIONERS.

I'M KATHERINE CREGO AND I HEAD UP STRATEGIC INITIATIVES FOR THE HOUSING AUTHORITY, THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND OUR NONPROFIT SUBSIDIARY, AUSTIN PATHWAYS.

AND I AM JOINED BY MY COLLEAGUE TODAY, ALEXIS HENDERSON, WHO IS A DISTINGUISHED, UH, COMMUNITY LEADER.

AND I WILL SHARE MORE WITH YOU ABOUT HER, HER BACKGROUND AND, UM, HER HER WORK, UH, IN A BIT, UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WE SERVE ABOUT 20,000 OF AUSTIN'S MOST VULNERABLE RESIDENTS, PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING IN PUBLIC AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WHO EARNED BETWEEN 10 AND $14,000 PER YEAR ON AVERAGE PER HOUSEHOLD.

AND SO DIGITAL INCLUSION, ESPECIALLY IN THIS POST COVID WORLD IS, IS NOT JUST A PILLAR OF A FAMILY.

SELF-SUFFICIENCY IT IS A PLATFORM THAT ENABLES, UH, OUR RESIDENTS TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS, TO LOCATION OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, EVEN TO WORK REMOTELY, UM, TO, TO BASICALLY ACHIEVE CERTAIN BASIC SERVICES LIKE, YOU KNOW, OBTAINING A TIMELY AND COST EFFECTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND OF COURSE, HEALTHCARE.

UM, SO DURING OUR COVID RESPONSE DURING THE SUMMER, WE WERE COLLABORATING WITH ECOSYSTEM PARTNERS WHO WORK IN EACH OF THOSE AREAS.

AND WE LEARNED THAT OUR VARIOUS PARTNERS PLAN TO SPEND ABOUT HALF A MILLION DOLLARS AND, UM, IN THE EARLY FALL ON, UM, INTERNET SERVICE.

AND OF COURSE WE'RE ALL SERVING MANY OF THE SAME CLIENTS.

AND SO, UM, FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, AS YOU ALL KNOW, LOW INCOME PEOPLE DON'T OFTEN HAVE ACCESS TO AN AFFORDABLE HIGH SPEED INTERNET CONNECTION, UH, WHETHER IT'S A WIRELINE OR WIRELESS.

AND SO WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CITY, UH, THE TARA OFFICE AND, UH, UM, AND, AND OTHERS, WE CONVENED A PORTION OF OUR HOCKEY ECOSYSTEM, UM, 16 NONPROFITS TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, UM, TO NATIONAL ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS AND SIX INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS.

UH, THERE WERE TWO CONVENINGS AND THE FIRST CONVENING WE WANTED TO PROVIDE NONPROFITS WITH SIMPLY I SHARED OF, UH, OF WHAT AFFORDABLE HIGH SPEED INTERNET ACCESS IS.

UM, AND, UH, AS SHARED, UH, WE WANTED TO DEVELOP A SHARED SET OF NEEDS, UM, IDENTIFY OUR CONCERNS, UM, RISKS AND, UM, COLLECTIVE ACTIONS THAT WE COULD TAKE TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CLIENTS HAD ACCESS TO THAT AFFORDABLE HIGH SPEED INTERNET CONNECTION.

UM, THAT WAS ON A THURSDAY, AUGUST 27TH.

UM, THE NEXT DAY ON FRIDAY, WE CONVENED SIX INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS WHO

[00:45:01]

UH, SO WE LEFT THOSE CONVENINGS WITH A COUPLE OF CHARGES THAT CAME UP PRETTY QUICKLY.

ONE WAS, UH, AROUND THE QUESTION OF, COULD WE AGGREGATE DEMAND IN SOME WAY, COULD WE AGGREGATE OUR PURCHASING POWER, OR COULD WE WORK COLLECTIVELY TO ENSURE THAT THESE LOW COST OFFERS WERE MORE REGULARLY AVAILABLE TO, UM, TO THESE COMMUNITIES? UM, THE SECOND ONE, THE THEME THAT EMERGED WAS EXPLORING HOW WE CAN ENSURE THAT THERE'S ACCOUNTABILITY TO PROVIDE AFFORDABLE HIGH SPEED INTERNET SERVICE, THE QUALITY OF THE SERVICE, AND, UM, SEVERAL OF THE PARTICIPANTS, UH, THE NONPROFIT PARTNERS, UH, KIND OF COALESCED AROUND THE IDEA OF CREATING A DIGITAL EQUITY SCORECARD FOR, UH, FOLKS THAT SELL, UH, YOU KNOW, INTERNET SERVICE, UM, COMPUTERS AND DIGITAL LITERACY, EVEN, UH, CLASSES.

UM, THE LAST THOUGHT, UH, KIND OF THEME WAS AROUND, UH, TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP, UM, FOR VARIOUS TYPES OF OFFERS IN SPECIFIC USE CASES FOR VARIOUS NONPROFITS, UM, BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY DIMENSIONS, UM, OR FACTORS INVOLVED IN SELECTING, UH, AFFORDABLE HIGH SPEED BROADBAND FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

UM, WE THINK THERE ARE PROBABLY SOME USE CASES THAT WILL BE EFFECTIVE FOR SOME TYPES OF NONPROFITS AND OTHERS THAT THAT WILL, THAT WILL BE MORE EFFECTIVE FOR OTHER TYPES.

UM, SO IN SHORT, UM, WE, WE LEFT THAT CONVENING AND IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS HAD IDENTIFIED, YOU KNOW, THROUGH WORD OF MOUTH AND, UM, OTHER VENUES, ADDITIONALLY, UH, PROBABLY ANOTHER HALF A MILLION DOLLARS IN SPEND FROM A COUPLE OF NONPROFITS WHO HAD JUST RECEIVED GRANTS.

AND THOSE GRANT MAKING ACTIVITIES ARE STILL GOING ON AROUND DIGITAL INCLUSION.

UM, WE, YOU KNOW, HAVE ADDITIONAL FINDINGS.

I THINK I JUST LIKE TO, TO, TO LEAVE IT THERE AND SEE WHAT QUESTIONS THERE MAY BE.

UM, BUT I'M HAPPY TO SHARE OUT WITH YOU ON WHAT WE LEARNED, UM, MORE DETAILED ON THE ACTION STEPS THAT WE AGREED TO TAKE IN AND WHAT WE'RE DOING NEXT.

WONDERFUL.

THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE, UH, YOUR, UH, DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER, UH, JOIN US NOW? YEAH, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

I SEE ALEXIS THERE.

YES.

HELLO.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.

I'M GOING TO TRY TO SPEAK FAST BECAUSE MY CHILDREN ARE IN UP I'M GUESS I'M HERE WITH MS. CATHERINE.

SHE SAID EVERYTHING VERY WELL.

I'M SO HAPPY THAT YOU'RE HERE.

I AM JUST A RESIDENT.

I DO STAY IN THE AREA CODE OF SEVEN, EIGHT, SEVEN OH TWO.

I DO DO A LOT OF COMMUNITY WORK, AND I MAKE SURE THAT OUR RESIDENTS CAN BE CONNECTED TO A LOT OF PROBLEMS. WHERE AM I RECEIVING HOTSPOTS THAT ARE NOT WORKING AND THEY CAN'T GET INTO CLASS? YOU KNOW, I'M FORTUNATE ENOUGH.

I AM A STUDENT IN AN ACC, SO I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, I NEED WIFI.

I NEED A COMPUTER.

A LOT OF OUR RESIDENTS ARE EDUCATED ON THAT, YOU KNOW, AND I LIKE TO JUST STAND UP AND SAY, DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE SEVEN, EIGHT, SEVEN OH TWO, BECAUSE OUR CHILDREN ARE HERE, YOU KNOW, AND ALL AT LEAST WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CHILDREN ARE HAVING THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES AS OTHER CHILDREN AROUND THE CITY.

AND I ALWAYS SAY THAT AUSTIN IS STRONG, BUT WE'RE ONLY AS STRONG AS OUR WEAKEST LINK.

AND THAT'S ABOUT IT.

THANK YOU, ALEXIS.

AND I FEEL LIKE I MAYBE COULD HAVE INTRODUCED YOU, BUT, UM, MORE FULLY, UM, YOU KNOW, ALEXIS IS THE RESIDENT COUNCIL LEADER AT QUARTZ.

UM, SHE IS ACTIVE IN THE COMMUNITY, UH, WITH BLACK MAMA'S, ATX, UH, FOCUSED ON MATERNAL HEALTH CARE.

UM, SHE'S ALSO VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT TRANSPORTATION AND EDUCATION, AS YOU CAN HEAR.

UM, SHE, UH, ALEXIS, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE THROUGH THE QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT SHARE ABOUT IN WHAT YOU'RE LEARNING ABOUT UPLOAD AND DOWNLOAD SPEEDS UP AT ROSEWOOD, BUT, UM, SHE'S CERTAINLY A REALLY ENGAGED COMMUNITY MEMBER AND WE'RE LUCKY TO HAVE HER SERVING AS A SMART CITY AMBASSADOR REPRESENTING OUR AGENCY.

OUTSTANDING.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

YEAH, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

[00:50:01]

SO, SO, UM, I GUESS DURING OUR NONPROFIT CONVENING, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR CLIENTS REALLY JUST WANTED TO LEARN ABOUT SOME, SOME BASIC THINGS.

LIKE WHAT ARE THE KEY PARTS OF AN INTERNET SERVICE AGREEMENT, UM, UH, NONPROFITS, WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, UM, WHAT ARE REASONABLE SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENTS.

AND SO AS A PART OF THAT EDUCATION OF NONPROFITS, WE INVITED THE NATIONAL DIGITAL INCLUSION ALLIANCE AND TO, UM, SHARE ABOUT THEIR RESEARCH ON, UH, SERVICE OFFERINGS OF MAJOR PROVIDERS, INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS ACROSS THE U S.

AND ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW IS, YOU KNOW, LIKE WHEN YOU BUY A GALLON OF MILK, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU PAY FOUR BUCKS, MAYBE FIVE, AND, AND THEN, AND YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH MILK YOU GOT, YOU GOT A GALLON OF MILK, UM, WITH INTERNET SERVICE, UH, IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.

UM, THE INDUSTRY IS, UM, SOME FOLKS WOULD SAY IN THE DIGITAL INCLUSION SPACE WOULD SAY IS LIGHTLY REGULATED, UH, IN TERMS OF, UM, THE, WHO DOES THE REPORTING ABOUT WHAT SPEEDS ARE PROVIDED AND, UM, AND, AND WHERE THAT IS IS, IS INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND.

AND SO, UM, ONE OF THE TOOLS THAT WE USE OFTEN IS, UH, A TOOL LIKE, UM, OOP, PLUS THE SPEED TEST NET, NO MOST FOLKS DON'T KNOW WHAT SPEED TEST.NET IS.

UM, BUT IT'S A TOOL THAT YOU CAN USE IF YOU GO TO A WEBSITE, IF YOU'RE ON A, ON A CONNECTION THAT YOU CAN USE TO TEST THE SPEED OF YOUR CONNECTION, AND IT WILL TELL YOU HOW FAST YOU CAN DOWNLOAD, UH, INFORMATION, UH, FROM INTERNET AND HOW FAST YOU CAN UPLOAD THAT INFORMATION, UM, WHEN YOU'RE BUYING BROADBAND OR YOU'RE PAYING $60 A MONTH FOR BROADBAND, AND YOU'RE BEING PROMISED A 50 MEG DOWNLOAD SPEED, AND A 10 MEG UPLOAD SPEED.

YOU WANT TO KNOW THAT YOU GOT WHAT YOU PAID FOR, AND COURSE AFTER COVID, UM, IT'S NOT A NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCE FOR THE INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS.

THEY HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE TO SERVE SUDDENLY A LOT MORE TRAFFIC, BUT EVEN BEFORE COVID, UM, SOMETIMES OUR RESIDENTS WOULD TELL US THAT THEY HAD PURCHASED A, UM, A BROADBAND, UH, AFFORDABLE BROADBAND CONNECTION, AND IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OPERATING AT A PARTICULAR SPEED, AND THEY WERE GETTING SOMETIMES 10% OF THAT UPLOAD AND DOWNLOAD SPEEDS.