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[CALL TO ORDER]
SCHEDULED MEETING TODAY, WEDNESDAY WHERE I'LL NAME THE COMMISSIONERS THAT ARE PRESENT, THE ONES WHO ARE NOT PRESENT IN THE BEGINNING.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.
[1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – October 9, 2020]
ORDER OF BUSINESS IS THE APPROVAL OF OUR MINUTES FROM OUR OCTOBER 9TH SPECIAL CALLED MEETING.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.
I'VE GOT A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES ESTIMATED BY VICE CHAIR, DAVID ALEXANDER, AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER
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
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AND UPDATING THESE MINUTES.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)]
WE WERE WORKING TOWARD HAVING AN AGGREGATE LIST OF QUESTIONS SUBMITTED FOR OUR NMC IO, CHRISTOPHER STEWART, OR CHRIS STEWART, TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO.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.
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.
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.
WE'RE HAVING TO TRANSFER IT TO THE IT, UH, STATION, JUST TO DO, WANT ME TO TRY TO SHARE FROM MINE.
YOU CAN TRY CERTAINLY IN THE INTERIM, IT'LL TAKE
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US MAYBE A, YOU KNOW, A MINUTE OR TWO TO PULL THIS UP.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 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.
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
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RELYING ON THAT HEAVILY NETWORK MODERNIZATION.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.
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.
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.
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
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PEOPLE AWAY FROM A PRIMARY SITE WHERE IT'S A LITTLE EASIER TO, UH, DEFEND AGAINST SECURITY RISKS, AND YOU CAN REALLY KIND OF CONTROL A PHYSICAL BUILDING, UM, OUR PERIMETERS MOVING AROUND.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.
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.
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.
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EDGE NEW STUFF THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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IN THEIR VOICE MESSAGE ALLUDED TO CONCERNS ABOUT THE 3.18 MILLION THAT WAS SPENT ON THE WEBSITE AND, UH, REFERRED TO THERE BEING SOME KIND OF TIPS.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.
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.
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.
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.
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 KNOW WHAT GAD IS, BUT THAT'S MY BUSINESS.
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.
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.
THE PAD FOR PUBLIC SAFETY IS COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCH.
THAT'S THE NINE ONE ONE SYSTEM.
ALSO YOU DO ACRONYMS, YOU'RE LEADING TO A NETWORK MODERNIZATION AND THAT COMPLETELY THREW ME OFF.
SO SPECIFIC TO NETFORM CLEVER PHYSICIANS.
[00:35:01]
ACRONYMS AND WHAT DO THEY MEAN WDM DWDM.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.
UH, MY LAST QUESTION ACTUALLY IS, UH, IS ANY SORT OF LIKE A DOUBLE QUESTION.
THERE ARE, WHO ARE IN COMMISSIONS.
SOME OF US HAVE
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.
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.
WELL, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR ALLENTOWN? YES.
UM, I'D LIKE TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE AMPLIFICATION ON WHAT COMMISSIONER
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]
IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IT GOVERNANCE AND THAT INCLUDES PURCHASING.SO THAT IS AN AREA THAT I WILL HAVE TO ADDRESS.
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.
[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)]
CONTINUE WITH OUR AGENDA NOW TO AGENDA ITEM TWO B A, WHICH WILL BE A PRESENTATION ON AFFORDABLE INTERNET OPTIONS IN AUSTIN AND LIVE EXPERIENCE WITH THE DIGITAL DIVIDE.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.
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.
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
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AGREED TO SHARE WITH US NOT ONLY WHAT THEIR OFFERS WERE AND TO CLARIFY HOW FOLKS CAN ACCESS, UH, THEIR LOW COST OFFERS, UH, OR DISCOUNTED COVID OFFERS, BUT ALSO TO SHARE WITH US THEIR APPROACH TO SERVING LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES AND THEIR APPROACH TO, UM, EQUITY AND SERVING LOW INCOME CONSUMERS.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.
THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE, UH, YOUR, UH, DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER, UH, JOIN US NOW? YEAH, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
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 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.
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 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.
YEAH, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
[00:50:01]
I KNOW THAT, UH, THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO TAKE THIS NEXT STEP OF THE CONVERSATION, UH, BUT REALLY CENTERING IT AROUND YOU TWO AS OUR GUESTS, UH, FOR THIS PART OF THE CONVERSATION, I WOULD LIKE TO, IF I COULD GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO EXPOUND ON THAT FROM OUR INITIAL CONVERSATION LAST WEEK, UH, THE CHALLENGES THAT YOU WERE HAVING WITH UPLOAD AND DOWNLOAD SPEEDS, UH, BASED ON, ON, ON BOTH FACILITIES AND LOCATION.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.
SO THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO COMPLETE THE TASKS THAT THEY THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO, UH, WITH THE CONNECTION THAT THEY PURCHASED.
UM, WE KNOW THAT, UM, SOME LOW INCOME OFFERS ARE WIRELESS ON PROVIDERS AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WIRELESS INFRASTRUCTURE IS, IS DIFFERENT IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF TOWN.
UM, SO, UH, AND THERE ARE MAPS AND TOOLS THAT THE PROVIDERS, UH, HAVE, THEN THAT CAN HELP YOU UNDERSTAND HOW WELL THEIR HOTSPOT WILL WORK IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, WE'RE WHAT WE'RE REALLY STRIVING FOR.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING ALEXIS AND I WERE LOOKING AT THE OTHER DAY, WE WERE LOOKING AT A MAP OF ALL THE, UH, OF, OF, OF, UH, PROVIDERS, UM, TOWERS, WIRELESS TOWERS, OR CELLULAR TOWERS.
AND WE NOTICED THAT, UM, FOR TWO OF THE WIRELESS COMPETITORS, THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE A TOWER IN HER NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO SEE THAT THAT EXPLAINS WHY THE HOTSPOTS, UM, THAT ALEXIS HAS BEEN HELPING HER NEIGHBORS THAT ARE PROVIDED, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR SCHOOL, WHY THEY MAY NOT BE FUNCTIONING SO WELL, JUST ON THAT SMALL PROPERTY.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK FROM 10,000 FEET, YOU KNOW, YOU SEE COVERAGE, YOU SEE BEAUTIFUL COVERAGE, BUT WHEN YOU GET DOWN AND YOU LOOK AT MAYBE A 10 BY 10 BLOCK AREA, YOU MAY SEE THAT IT'S CHALLENGING FOR SOME FOLKS TO USE HOTSPOTS.
AND IT JUST SO HAPPENS THAT ROSEWOOD COURTS IS IN A, IS IN A NEIGHBORHOOD OF A SMALL NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE, UM, WHERE THERE'S REALLY NO, UM, WIRELESS, UH, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE CAN SEE.
SO, UM, I THINK THEY'RE GETTING A THIRD OF DIAL UP BOTH WAYS ON THE HOTSPOTS.
SO THAT'S IN THE, YOU KNOW, HUNDRED K 150 K RANGE, UM, TAKE YOU RIGHT BACK
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TO 1980, WELL, 93 OR SOMETHING THAT, UM, AND SO, UH, THAT'S ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT, YOU KNOW, FOLKS ARE INTERESTED IN IS THAT IDEA OF ACCOUNTABILITY.IF I'M A NONPROFIT, UM, I'M SERVING FOLKS, MAYBE I'M PROVIDING FOOD TO FOLKS OR I'M PROVIDING HEALTHCARE SERVICES OR TELEHEALTH OR TELEMEDICINE, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE CASE OF TELE-HEALTH, I MIGHT NOT NEED A VERY FAST CONNECTION, BUT I DO WANT TO KNOW IF I'M USING, YOU KNOW, DONATED FUNDS OR GRANT FUNDS TO PURCHASE INTERNET, THAT I'M GOING TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, THAT VIDEO SERVICE TO THAT CLIENT.
IN THE CASE OF TELEMEDICINE, I THINK A 300 MEG CONNECTION IS REQUIRED.
AND THERE ARE PROVIDERS THAT OFFER A 300 MEG, UM, WIRELINE CONNECTION.
THEY STILL WANT TO KNOW THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO CONNECT VISITS I'M USING THAT SERVICE, UH, ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW, SAVING THE CITY MONEY AND OTHERS MONEY AS WELL.
UM, SO, UH, THAT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ON THE ISSUE OF UPLOAD AND DOWNLOAD SPEEDS.
AND, UM, PROBABLY THE REASON THAT SOME OF THE NONPROFITS THAT WE'RE ON ARE INTERRUPTING OUR CONVENING.
UM, AND IT CONVENING WITH THE SERVICE PROVIDERS.
WE'RE REALLY ASKING ABOUT HOW DO I KNOW THAT I'M GOING TO GET WHAT I PAID FOR.
I KNOW THAT, UH, THE, THE FOCUS AROUND SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT AND ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, THE ANALOGY PROVIDED ABOUT GETTING WHAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE PAYING FOR IS VERY PROFOUND BECAUSE WE'RE ALREADY DEALING WITH EFFECTED POPULATIONS THAT HAVE LESS DIGITAL LITERACY, UH, AND THEREFORE CAN BE MUCH MORE EASILY TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO PLANS AND PROGRAMS. UH, SO I COULDN'T EXPRESS ENOUGH HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO ELEVATE THAT.
AND AS YOU COULD TELL FROM OUR CONVENING ON FRIDAY, WE'RE COMMITTED AS A COMMISSION TO ELEVATING THIS DISCUSSION AND TO MAINTAINING THAT LEVEL OF ELEVATION UNTIL THERE'S IMPACTFUL CHANGE.
UH, I'D LIKE TO, I COULD OPEN IT UP TO THE REST OF THE COMMISSION TO SEE IF ANYONE ELSE HAS ANY QUESTIONS.
TIRPITZ I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, KATHERINE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR JOINT VISITS.
THIS IS SOMEONE'S VOICE FROM THE PAST.
ONE IS WHAT DO YOU DEEM AS MEN MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE BROADBAND SERVICE? I KEEP HEARING THE NUMBER 25, THREE BEING TURNED AROUND.
DO YOU CONSIDER THAT TO BE ADEQUATE IN TODAY'S, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, TRAFFIC THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE DATA VOLUMES FOR DOWNLOADABLE FUNCTIONS AND, YOU KNOW, PROGRAMS THAT WE USE, IS THAT A SUFFICIENT LEVEL, MINIMUM LEVEL, OR DO WE NEED SOMETHING WITH GREATER THAN THAT? WELL, IT DEPENDS, YOU KNOW, THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT DECIDES WHAT WE CALL HIGH SPEED AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALWAYS GOING UP A LITTLE BIT, A LITTLE INCHING UP, UM, BUT AT 25 BY THREE, YOU KNOW, AS, AS FAR AS WHAT AISD REQUIRES STUDENTS TO HAVE, UM, AND MANY FOLKS WILL SAY THAT, UM, MANY IN THE DIGITAL INCLUSION SPACE, WE'LL SAY A FIVE BY FIVE CONNECTION IS SUFFICIENT TO GO TO SCHOOL, TO, TO, FOR THREE KIDS TO BE ON ZOOM.
AND, YOU KNOW, MANY OF THESE TOOLS, LIKE THE ONE THAT WE'RE USING HAVE SPECIAL WAYS OF SENDING DATA SO THAT IT DOESN'T, UM, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, CLOG THE SYSTEM.
UM, BUT THERE'S, THERE'S ANOTHER ISSUE, UM, WHICH HAS TO DO WITH, AM I CONSUMER, OR AM I A PRODUCER? YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE BUYING AND DOWNLOADING MOVIES ALL DAY, THEN THE 25 MEG DOWNLOAD CONNECTION IS GREAT.
IF YOU ARE MAKING MOVIES AND UPLOADING THINGS THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE MAKING AND PRODUCING, THEN AT THREE MEG UPLOAD CONNECTION IS TERRIBLE.
SO, YOU KNOW, THIS HEARKENS BACK TO THIS ISSUE THAT IN MANY COUNTRIES, YOU KNOW, IN MOST OF THE OECD COUNTRIES THAT, YOU KNOW, BROADBAND IS SOLD ONLY IN SYMMETRICAL, UM, YOU KNOW, CONTAINERS IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, THERE'S NOT A, A LOWER DOWN UPLOAD SPEED THAN A DOWNLOAD SPEEDS.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, I KNOW I, I, YOU KNOW, WHEN ALEXIS IS, IS, IS WORKING WITH RESIDENTS ON, UM, PRENATAL HEALTH, UM, IT'S NOT JUST IMPORTANT THAT THEY BE ABLE TO, TO DOWNLOAD INFORMATION IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THEY CAN UPLOAD INFORMATION AS WELL.
SO I, I THINK THAT, UM, IT CERTAINLY DEPENDS, BUT I WOULD ARGUE FOR A SYMMETRICAL UPLOAD DOWNLOADS AND, UM, EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF INFRASTRUCTURE, IF ALL HAS 25,
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25 CONNECTION.UM, SO WE ALL HAVE THE ABILITY TO GO THROUGH A DOOR, BUT A HUNDRED PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO GET THROUGH THE DOOR AT THE SAME TIME, BECAUSE I LIVE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE THERE'S ONLY ONE DOOR AND A HUNDRED PEOPLE CAN'T GET THROUGH THAT DOOR AT THE SAME TIME, THEN I'M GOING TO BE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE DIGITAL DIVIDE.
SO THE SECOND QUESTION I HAVE IS THAT, IS THERE SOME KIND OF A SPACE FOR A PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM TO MANY BROADBAND ACCESS IS PERVASIVE IN THE PRESENCE OF STATE LIMITS AND REGULATIONS IN THE STATE HAS PUT A LOT OF LINUX.
SO IS THERE SOME GOING TO PUBLIC PRIVATE ARRANGEMENT THAT COULD CREATE WHERE BROADBAND ACCESS IS A GIVEN LIKE IN SINGAPORE, EVERYBODY GETS IT, IT'S WIRED INTO THE HOME BEFORE YOU WALK IN, IT'S THERE GUARANTEED.
SOME CITIES ARE ABLE TO MOVE MUCH MORE QUICKLY THAN THEY HAVE BEEN IN THE PAST.
UM, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WERE HAVING THIS DISCUSSION TOO WITH OUR SMART CITY AMBASSADOR TEAM, UM, ALEXIS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS BROADBAND AND, AND, AND THEY FEEL STRONGLY THAT BROADBAND ARE SMART CITY AMBASSADORS WHO ARE REALLY FOCUSED ON THESE TOPICS.
THEY FEEL STRONGLY THAT BROADBAND IS A UTILITY.
UM, AND SO, UM, SO WE'RE EXPLORING THE HOUSING AUTHORITY.
WE'RE EXPLORING A NUMBER OF, OF WAYS TO ENSURE THAT FOLKS CAN GET INTERNET, INCLUDING SOME PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS.
WE'VE BEEN FORTUNATE AS, YOU KNOW, TO HAVE GOOGLE FIBER, UM, IN, IN 10 OF OUR PROPERTIES NOW, UH, CONNECTING ABOUT 55% OF OUR SUBSIDIZED PUBLIC HOUSING RESIDENTS.
UM, AND, AND THAT'S BEEN LIFE CHANGING.
I MEAN, THEY ALMOST, YOU KNOW, FOLKS HAVE MADE THE TRANSITION TO ONLINE EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE, UH, YOU KNOW, FOLKS THAT ARE WORKING FROM HOME BECAUSE THEY HAVE HOME INTERNET FOLKS THAT ARE ENROLLED IN THE CITY'S DEMAND RESPONSE PROGRAM.
UM, AUSTIN ENERGY'S DEMAND RESPONSE PROGRAM BECAUSE THEY HAVE A FREE INTERNET CONNECTION, BUT THESE THINGS ARE FOR THE SOCIAL.
SO, UM, I'M SURE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OPTIONS THAT BE CURIOUS TO HEAR WHICH ONES THE COMMISSION IS IS, IS VIEWING FAVORABLY RIGHT NOW, ALMOST LIKE A PACKAGE DEAL.
WELL, HEAD HAD PASSED A RULE IN 2018, WHICH WE WERE ACTIVE IN ADVOCATING FOR THAT REQUIRES ALL NEW DEVELOPMENT AND ANY REDEVELOPMENT TO, UM, TO HAVE, UH, UH, A HIGH SPEED CONNECTION.
AND THEY USE THE FCC DEFINITION OF HIGH-SPEED.
SO WHEN THE WALLS ARE OPEN, YOU HAVE TO PUT A, YOU HAVE TO PUT INTERNET SERVICE IN, UM, WE DO MULTIFAMILY, UH, PROPERTY OWNERS CAN PURCHASE BULK INTERNET AND IT JUST COUNTS FIDDLY.
UH, WE'RE WE'RE HUD DOES NOT SEE INTERNET AS A UTILITY.
UM, BUT WE DO HAVE PROPERTIES, UH, WHERE RESIDENTS CAN PURCHASE, UM, AT A BULK RATE CABLE AND INTERNET WHEN THEY MOVE IN.
SO AT A VERY LOW RATE, UH, ACTUALLY TWO OF OUR SENIOR PROPERTIES.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, FOR VERY LOW, LESS THAN 20 BUCKS ON CABLE AND, AND HIGH SPEED INTERNET SERVICE, UM, BUT THE, BUT THAT IS DEFINITELY HOW IT SHOULD BE.
IT IS A PLATFORM AND, YOU KNOW, HOUSING IS BUILT ON, YOU KNOW, IT'S, OUR OLDEST PROPERTIES WERE BUILT IN THE LATE THIRTIES.
AND, UM, SOME OF THE, UM, THE INFOSET STRUCTURE ACCESS THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE HAVE NOW, IT'S, IT'S ROOTED IN DECISIONS THAT WERE MADE A HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
UM, SO I'M ALL IN FAVOR WITH YOU, UH, OF ENSURING THAT A HOME HAS ENTERED EVERY HOME HAS INTERNET IN IT.
THANK YOU FOR THOSE QUESTIONS, UH, COMMISSIONED A SCOOP TO, UH, I'M GOING TO OPEN IT UP TO THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS, BUT I DO WANT TO INTERJECT FOR A MOMENT AND SAY, UH, WE APPRECIATE YOUR LEADERSHIP IN THE COMMUNITY AND THE FACT THAT, AND IN SERVICE OF YOUR RESIDENTS, THAT YOU'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN SO MANY, UH, CONVERSATIONS AND, AND, UH, IDEATIONS AND, AND COLLABORATIONS FOR SOLUTIONS.
HAVING SAID THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR MISSION IS AND, UH, UNDERSTANDING THAT WE, WE REALIZED THAT THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO INVESTIGATE AND TO THEN BE ABLE TO PRESENT TO YOU,
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UH, AND OR TO THE COMMUNITY, UH, THAT QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS THAT YOU DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER FOR BECAUSE YOU ARE ACTUALLY ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN TRYING TO ADDRESS THE CRISIS, THE CRISES, IF YOU WILL.UH, SO I'M FAN AT TO SAY THAT WE APPRECIATE YOU UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU'VE BECOME CLEARLY A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT ON THIS, AND YET AT THE SAME TIME, UH, IT'S INCUMBENT UPON US, UH, TO BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE INSIGHTS AND RESEARCH FROM OTHER CITIES AND OTHER MUNICIPALITIES AND THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO THEN HELP TO SHED LIGHT ON HOW WE CAN BETTER PERFORM OUR ACTIVITIES HERE, UH, AND, AND THE CITY OF BOSTON.
SO WITH THAT, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR MS. CRAIG OR FOR MS. HENDERSON? YEAH.
IF I HAD A QUESTION DURING YOUR PRESENTATION, YOU HAD SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF NONCOMPLIANCE WITH THE CONTRACTUAL NETWORK SPEEDS.
AND REALLY THIS IS A QUESTION FOR US IS THAT IF THIS WAS DOCUMENTED, IS THIS AN AREA WHERE TARA COULD HAVE SOME REGULATORY AUTHORITY, IF THE, IF IT WERE WELL DOCUMENTED THAT THE RESIDENTS ARE NOT GETTING THE BANDWIDTH THAT THEY'VE PAID FOR CONTRACTUALLY, CAN TARA INTERVENE IN THIS CASE WITH CARRIERS? SO I DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THE QUESTION AND AGREE WITH YOU THAT IT IS LIKE THAT INTERNAL QUESTION.
UM, IT'S A QUESTION THAT WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS WITH TARA STAFF, AND THAT WOULD BE BEST SUITED FOR THE WORKING GROUP DISCUSSION.
THAT'LL TAKE PLACE DURING OUR AGENDA, RIGHT? SO WE CAN BRING THIS UP DURING THE WORKING GROUP SESSION, BUT IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL IF THIS GROUP THAT IS DOING ALL OF THIS COLLECTIVE PURCHASING POWER AND THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF PREPARERS, UM, IF THEY COULD ALSO COME UP WITH SOME DOCUMENTATION THAT WE COULD PAY VIEWS.
SO WHILE WE'RE RESEARCHING THE AUTHORITY, THEY COULD BE ACTUALLY COMING UP WITH SOME ACTUAL, UM, DOCUMENTED INSTANCES OF CONTRACTUAL NONCOMPLIANCE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? CERTAINLY ONE OF OUR SMART CITY AMBASSADORS, UM, IS, UH, IS, IS, UM, KIMBERLYN WHO, WHO WHO'S WAS NOT ON THE CALL TODAY, BARTON RAYEZ AND, UM, YOU KNOW, VERY TALENTED, UH, PERSON WHO HAS RECENTLY, UH, WON A, AN AWARD FROM CASA FOR HER WORK, UH, ADVOCATING FOR KIDS.
AND, UM, SHE, SHE IS, UH, WORK.
SHE HAS WORKED WITH SEVERAL RESIDENTS AND DOCUMENT.
SHE WAS FEATURED IN A NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE IN JULY ABOUT, UM, THE DIFFICULTIES THAT, UH, LOW INCOME PEOPLE HAVE, UH, GETTING AFFORDABLE, UH, LOW COST OFFERS.
UM, AND SO, UM, I'LL, I'LL SEND, UH, IF I, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE RIGHT WAY IS TO PROVIDE THAT TO YOU, IF MAYBE I SHOULD GET THAT TO JESSE, UM, FOR THE TEAM TO REVIEW, BUT WE CERTAINLY, UM, CAN, AND I KNOW THAT, UH, DIGITAL INCLUSION DEPARTMENT IS, IS COMMITTED TO HELPING, UH, DOCUMENT THOSE, THOSE RESIDENT, UH, STORIES AS WELL.
SOMETIMES THERE ARE SIMPLY JUST ISSUES LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, LANGUAGE THAT'S DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND, OR NOT SUPER CLEAR, UM, RELATED TO BILLING OR, UM, WHERE, YOU KNOW, UH, BILLING MISTAKES THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, NEED TO BE RECTIFIED AND, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.