►
Description
City Services & Innovation Technology Hearing - Docket #0417, Order for a hearing to discuss digital equity and municipal broadband in relation to affordable housing in the City of Boston
A
Calling
this
hearing
to
order
for
the
record,
my
name
is
Kenzie
Bach
I'm,
the
district
8
City
councilor,
and
also
the
chair
of
the
council's
committee
on
city
services
and
innovation
technology
I'm.
This
hearing
is
being
recorded,
it's
being
live
streamed
at
boston.gov,
city-council,
TV
and
broadcast
on
Xfinity
channel
8,
RCN,
channel
82
and
FiOS
channel
964..
A
Today's
hearing
is
on
docket0417
order
for
hearing
to
discuss
digital
equity
and
Municipal
Broadband
in
relation
to
affordable
housing
in
the
city
of
Boston,
and
that's
co-sponsored
by
myself,
council
president
Flynn,
who
will
be
joining
us
just
a
little
late
and
counselor
Julia
Mejia
at
large
I'm
also
joined
here
today
by
my
colleagues,
counselor
Liz
Brayden,
District
9
and
counselor
Aaron
Murphy
at
Large.
Written
comments
for
today's
hearing
may
be
sent
to
the
committee
email
at
ccc.csit
boston.gov
and
those
will
be
made
part
of
the
record
and
available
to
all
counselors.
A
Shane
pack,
at
shane.pac,
boston.gov,
shane.pack
of
boston.gov
and
Shane,
will
send
you
the
link
and
add
you
to
the
list,
and
we
can
beam
you
in
digitally
also
at
the
end
of
the
hearing,
we're
delighted
to
have
today
with
us
both
the
department
of
innovation
technology
and
a
number
of
their
external
Partners,
so
that
we
can
really
dig
in
on
this
topic
and
it's
something
that
I'm
excited
for
us
to
be
getting
together
to
talk
on,
because
I
think
it's
something
where
the
council
has
been
a
really
strong
advocate
for
resources
for
digital
equity
and
the
Department's
doing
great
work,
and
so
it's
a
good
opportunity
for
us
to
all
talk
about
what
that
is,
because
you
know
as
I
always
say
like
we,
we
saw
in
a
pandemic
that
digital
Equity
access
to
the
internet.
A
It's
not
a
nice
to
have
anymore.
It's
an
essential
thing.
You
can't
you
can't
in
the
pandemic,
you
couldn't
go
to
work
or
school
or
join
anything
like
this
without
having
that
access,
and
so
we
can't
have
a
two-tiered
society
where
folks,
with
more
money,
also
have
that
access
and
and
folks
with
less
money
are,
are
cut
out.
And
so
you
know
that's
important
across
the
whole
city
of
Boston,
but
one
of
the
most
focused
ways
that
we
can
really
fight.
A
I'm
really
glad
to
be
on
this
docket
with
my
co-sponsors,
councilor,
Mejia
and
counselor
Flynn,
because
ever
since
I
joined
the
council,
we've
been
advocating
on
this
front
and
part
of
pushing
both
for
additional
money
for
techo's
home,
which
I
know
we're
going
to
hear
from
in
a
little
bit
and
and
actually
the
study
that
we're
going
to
the
Department's
going
to
talk
about
today,
really
looking
at
what
that
Broadband
access
looks
like
in
the
city
and
kind
of
what
the
next
steps
can
be
to
to
making
access
more
Equitable.
A
So
that
was
something
that
councilor
Mejia,
who
I
will
go
to
next,
was
really
pushing
for
in
one
of
our
budget
Cycles
a
couple
of
years
ago,
and
so
when
this
report
came
out
in
the
fall
from
the
Department,
we
never
had
an
opportunity
as
a
council
to
really
talk
about
where
we'd
landed
and
what
the
next
steps
are.
And
so
this
hearing
is
kind
of
the
continuation
of
that
conversation.
A
So
I
do
want
to
let
my
colleagues
have
some
quick
opening
statements
and
then
we
will
go
to
the
administration's
panel
and
then
we'll
have
a
second
panel
after
this
one.
But
I'll
go
first
to
counselor
Julia
Mejia
at
Large.
B
Thank
you,
counselor
Bach
and
the
chair,
and
for
also
your
leadership
in
this
space.
It's
been
great
to
partner
with
you
as
we
continue
to
navigate
the
digital
Highway
here.
B
So
just
wanted
to
just
thank
everyone
who
has
been
advocating
on
this
particular
issue,
and
you
know
during
covet
we
saw
the
digital
discrepancies
if
you
will
happening
in
certain
neighborhoods,
so
really
looking
forward
to
not
just
having
a
conversation
about
the
conversation
but
really
laying
down
the
infrastructure
for
what
happens
next
and
how
do
we
I'm
not
only
leaning
but
really
advocate
for
moving
the
conversation
Beyond
here
you
know,
having
grown
up
with
very
limited
resources,
everyone
had
the
new,
the
Nintendo
back
in
the
day.
B
I,
don't
know
if
you
guys
remember:
Nintendo,
Atari
or
you
know
a
PlayStation
whatever
it
is.
There
were
some
people
who
had
it
and
some
people
who
did
not
and
so
I
remember
wanting
Atari
you're,
absolutely
right,
counselor,
Murphy
and
I
think
I
ended
up
getting
a
hand-me-down
and
I
was
so
excited
that
I
was
able
to
play
whatever
that
was
the
space
asteroids.
Thank
you
and
I
mean
you
know.
B
The
reason
why
I
bring
this
memory
here
is
because,
for
me,
being
one
of
the
few
Kids
on
the
Block
that
did
not
have
that
particular
apparatus
to
play
really
made
me
feel
less
fan
and
I
think
about
all
of
the
young
people
who
right
now
have
access
to
phones
and
and
things
of
that
nature
and
little
gadgets
to
play.
B
There's
still
some
that
don't,
but
it's
beyond
games
at
this
point,
it's
really
about
your
livelihood,
and
so
when
you
don't
have
access
to
Quality,
internet
and
you're,
unable
to
work
and
you're
unable
to
access
vital
city
services,
you
know,
because
you
just
don't,
have
access
to
the
internet.
This
is
why
this
conversation
is
so
important.
It
is
beyond
luxury
or
privileged.
B
It's
really
about
really
looking
at
this
in
terms
of
a
lens
of
those
who
have
and
those
who
have
not
and
the
work
that
the
city
can
do
to
ensure
that
everybody
has
access
to
high
quality
digital
access.
Thank
you.
A
Great
thank
you.
Counselor
Mejia,
counselor
Braden.
C
Thank
you,
madam
chair
I'm,
really
delighted
to
be
here
this
morning.
This
is
a
very
important
subject
and,
as
you
often
mentioned,
internet
access
Broadband
access
is
is
like
almost
needing
electricity.
At
this
point,
it's
a
very
vital
utility
for
how
we
live
in
the
21st
century
and
during
covert.
We
realized
all
of
a
sudden,
incredible
inequity
in
our
system,
especially
when
it
came
to
access
for
our
young
people
who
were
trying
to
study
remotely
and
their
parents
who
were
trying
to
work
remotely
and
it
wasn't.
It
was
a.
C
It
really
pushed
us
to
look
at
this
issue
in
a
very,
very
different
way.
The
other
other
thing
I
wanted
to
flag
up
with
is
it's
also
increasingly
with
telemedicine
that
our
our
elders
and
and
folks
who
it's
it's
needed
to
access
our
health
care
and
remote
work
and
education,
and
so
many
so
many
areas
of
our
Modern
Life
are
touched
by
the
need
to
to
actually
have
access
to
broadband,
and
it's
really
important
that
everyone
has
access
and
I
look
forward
to
the
conversation
this
morning
and
thank
you
all
for
being
here.
C
D
Murphy,
thank
you.
Thank
you
all
for
being
here.
Looking
forward
to
this
important
conversation
and
I
know,
many
of
my
colleagues
stated
many
of
the
things
I
also
agree
with
I.
Also
just
want
us
put
into
this
space
too.
It's
such
a
huge
responsibility
now
too,
especially
not
just
our
young
kids,
but
our
seniors.
D
D
Just
because
we
were
handing
out
Chromebooks
did
not
mean
kids
were
having
access
to
education,
so
there
is
the
plug-in,
but
then
there's
the
follow
through,
like
are
people
actually
getting
connected
and
it's
been
brought
up
also,
but
you
know
when
your
phone
that
Irish
Guild
to
me,
where
it
reminds
you
weekly
how
much
time
you've
spent
on
your
device
and
I
always
have
to
remind
myself
like
I,
do
so
much
on
my
phone.
Now,
though,
I
do
like
90
of
my
work.
D
If
it's
emails,
if
it's
a
zoom,
so
our
phones
are
not
just
for
phone
calls
anymore,
they
connect
us
in
so
many
ways
with.
If
it's
with
you
know
your
doctor,
your
lawyer,
your
grandmother
with
a
zoom
call
whatever
it
is,
so
it's
important
that
we're
having
this
conversation
and
that
we're
making
sure
that
every
family
in
the
city
of
Boston
it
has
access
to
the
digital
Dome.
You
know
that
they
need
so.
Thank
you,
chair
for
hosting.
A
E
Thank
you,
madam
chair
I,
look
forward
to
the
hearing,
and
it's
been
my
experience,
sometimes
here
with
the
council
over
the
years
that
sometimes
something
may
already
exist.
You
know
we
may
already
have
Partners,
but
because
we're
not
talking
to
one
another
or
because
we
don't
have
that
information,
we
may
be
necessarily
unnecessarily
assume
that
some
things
are
are
not
happening
so
I'm
happy
to
be
here.
Obviously,
I
appreciate
that
she
has
willingness
to
convene
the
appropriate
parties.
E
I
I
do
know
that
we
recently
spent
somewhere
in
the
city
of
200
000
on
a
study.
That's
a
summer
in
excess
of
100
pages
in
length.
I
also
know
that
we
have
a
lot
of
high-speed
partners
in
our
city,
Comcast
Verizon,
FiOS,
RCN,
Starry
net
Blazer,
as
well
as
a
lot
of
the
5G
programs
that
are
out
there.
We
also
spend
some
very
precious
Opera
funds
on
sort
of
I
guess
connecting
or
Bridging
the
Gap
in
the
digital
divide.
E
So
I
look
forward
to
hearing
what
our
experts
and
our
corporate
Partners
have
to
say
about
it.
I
I
happen
to
think
that
maybe
the
city
spending
a
billion
dollars
on
its
own
sort
of
wireless
network
and
5G
network
is
not
money
well
spent,
given
that
we
currently
have
high
speed
in
every
corner
of
the
city,
my
senses
were
just
not
talking
to
one
another
and
or
we're
not
aware
of
what
our
corporate
partners
are.
Currently
doing.
So
that's
going
to
be
a
great
education,
I
think
for
the
council
today.
E
We
need
to
know
who's
doing
what
and
where
and
and
where
not
and
and
how
do
we
as
a
legislative
branch
of
city
government,
collectively
working
with
the
chair
and
council
president
and
our
mayor
and
a
variety
of
different
partners?
How
do
we?
How
do
we
solve
those
problems,
but
I?
Don't
think
we
need
to
reinvent
the
Wheel
by
spending
a
billion
dollars
of
having
the
city
have
its
own
thing,
I
think
that
it's
already
there.
E
We
just
need
to
talk
to
one
another,
and
so
let's
look
forward
to
hearing
some
of
the
testimony
and
find
out
where
some
of
those
gaps
are
because
I
I
know
that
we've
got
some
great
Partners
every
time
you
you
reach
out
to
Comcast
Verizon
FiOS
they're
right
on
it.
In
fact,
the
beginning
of
this
hearing.
In
all
of
our
hearings,
we
have
to
inform
the
public
of
how
they
can
access
city
council
hearings
and
we're
constantly
mentioning
FiOS
Verizon
FiOS
asean
Etc,
so
we're
there.
E
We
have
the
Partnerships,
let's
find
out
who's,
doing
what
it's
a
lot
like
our
colleges
and
universities,
and
particularly
in
the
pilot
program.
We
learn
by
way
of
public
hearings
as
to
what
they're
actually
doing
and
oftentimes.
We
fall
off
the
chair,
because
we
had
no
idea
to
the
length
and
the
level
that
they've
gone
to
partner
with
our
city.
Our
hospital
is
the
same
thing.
E
A
You
so
much
counselor,
Flaherty
and,
as
I
said,
president
for
them
will
be
joining
us
in
a
little
bit
and
and
to
council
Flaherty's
point
you
know,
I
I
think
what's
exciting
about
this.
For
me
is
that
it
this?
This
does
not
feel
like
one
of
those
hearings
where
we
sort
of
are
like
pulling
people
together
for
a
conceptual
conversation
about
things
that
we
might
do.
A
This
feels
like
a
place
where
the
council
and
the
Departments
and
our
external
Partners,
including
Comcast
and
and
Verizon
for
sure,
but
also
many
of
the
the
non-profit
external
partners
that
we'll
hear
from
as
well
like
we're
we're
already
charting
a
course
together
here
and
like
I'm
glad
that
the
council
funded
that
study
I
think
the
municipal
Broadband
conversation.
A
You
know
I
think
we'll
hear
more
from
the
Department
on
that.
But
it's
good
to
kind
of
know
what
that
build.
B
A
Would
look
like
it's
also
good
to
know
if
there's
more
efficient
ways
to
get
to
the
people
who
are
on
the
wrong
side
of
that
divide,
what
they
are
and,
and
so
from
my
perspective
kind
of
finding
the
report,
some
of
the
funding
that
went
out
from
arpa
on
helping
get
the
BHA
more
connected
thinking
about
the
money
that
the
councils
pushed
towards
technical,
home
and
other
partners
to
get
the
affordable
the
affordable
connectivity
program
subscriptions
up
in
Boston.
A
These
are
all
things
we're
going
to
hear
about
from
the
department,
but
I
feel
like
we're
we're
charting
an
exciting
course
on
this
front
together
and
it's
unbelievably
important
for
a
more
Equitable
Boston.
So
without
further
Ado
I'll
turn
it
over.
We've
got
Santiago
Garces
our
Chief
Information
officer,
who
heads
up
the
department
of
innovation
technology
and
for
us
here,
he's
joined
by
Peter,
favarito
who's,
the
digital
equity
and
inclusion
advocate
for
the
city
of
Boston
within
the
department.
A
So
we'll
go
to
the
four
of
them
and
then
just
so
counselors
know
when
we
do
go
to
questions
I'm
going
to
encourage
a
few
other
folks
who
are
in
the
stands
to
come
up
and
sit
behind
the
panel
and
kind
of
join
for
that,
because,
in
addition
to
folks
on
the
do
it
team,
including
our
very
own
Carrie
Jordan,
who
we
continue
to
identify
as
a
Boston
city
council
alone,
rather
than
a
Do-it
Chief
of
Staff.
Although
that
is
his
role.
A
These
days,
we've
got
Mike
Lynch,
supporting
our
director
of
broadband
and
cable
office
for
Do
It.
We
already
celebrated
his
retirement,
but
he
is
still
here
to
help
us.
So
that's
great.
A
We're
also
joined
by
David
Talbot,
the
director
of
research
services
for
CTC
technology
and
energy
and
will
pfeffer
the
Civic
technologist
for
the
Massachusetts
area,
planning
Council
in
addition
to
Michael
Russo
who's,
the
director
of
resource
development
for
urban
Edge,
supporting
Mr
dorsely.
So
we've
got
a
great
set
of
people
in
the
stands
as
well
as
at
the
panel
and
we'll
have
all
those
folks
available
for
counselor
questions
and
follow-up.
But
now
Chief
over
to
you.
F
Great,
thank
you
so
much
for
having
me
again.
My
name
is
Santiago
Garces
I
am
the
Chief
Information
officer
for
the
city.
Just
as
we
start,
the
presentation
acknowledges
several
of
you
have
mentioned.
The
work
that
we're
presenting
is
the
result
of
deep
collaboration
between
industry
government
and
a
number
of
Community
Partners.
F
F
We
are
giving
Mike
a
pass
from
being
in
the
hot
seat
because
it
is
his
last
day,
but
the
reality
is
that
so
much
of
what
Mike
has
done
in
his
career,
bringing
all
the
pieces
together
is
really
remarkable
and
I
feel
humbled
that
I
get
to
share
and
now
I
take
the
the
work
forward
and
we
have
a
good
relationship.
We
don't
always
agree
as
partners,
but
I,
but
I
know
that
there's
a
lot
of
opportunities
for
us
to
keep
working
together,
so
Just
Jump,
Right
In.
F
So
as
we
conceptualize
the
digital
divide,
we
know
that
there
is
it's
a
complex
issue,
because
it
is
not
only
about
access
to
the
internet,
but
rather
it's
about
access
to
the
internet.
The
devices
that
you
use
to
connect
to
the
internet,
the
skills
and
behaviors
that
you
have
when
you
connect.
So
it's
really
a
complex
issue
that
is
difficult
to
isolate.
Just
you
know
it's
not
just
about
getting
Broadband
to
a
building
it's.
A
F
Oh
I'll
skip
the
yoga
moves,
so
this
is
a
map
and
I
know
that
we've
been
having
a
lot
of
conversations
around
how
you
said
that
we
can
be
more
targeted
in
understanding
where
the
Gap
six
is
and
and
how
do
we
target
resources?
F
This
is
a
map
that
is
produced
by
Microsoft,
using
data
from
the
Census
from
American
Community
survey
and
another
data
points
where
they've
compiled
a
digital
Equity
index
that
gathers
information
about
all
the
different
aspects
of
digital
Equity
Broadband
devices.
Some
of
that
so
next
slide
Maybe.
F
So
the
issue
of
digital
connectivity
in
Boston
is
one
that
is
very
specific
and
is
one
that
is
highly
concentrated,
alongs
income,
so
poverty
around
certain
other
conditions
that
we
know
that
tend
to
be
related
with
with
other
issues
around
age,
disability,
immigration
status.
So
just
as
a
way
of
context,
the
data
that
we
have
is
a
little
bit
outdated.
The
American
Community
survey
questions
get
compiled
over
a
five-year
average,
but
it
is
the
best
data
that
we
have
about.
12
percent
of
households
in
this
period
did
not
report
having
internet
connections
at
home.
F
On
the
other
hand,
in
the
past
year
we've
enrolled
about
33,
000,
households,
we've
and
just
being
honest,
we
don't
know
if
it's
exactly
the
same
households,
the
there's
income
eligibility
criteria,
but
we've
been
able
to
connect
33
000
households
with
like
free
high-speed
internet
through
the
internet
service
providers,
courtesy
of
the
the
infrastructure
and
jobs
act
that
provided
funding
to
cover
these
subscriptions,
and
we
know
that
about
19
of
housing.
Units
within
the
city
are
our
affordable
housing
units,
their
income,
restricted
housing.
F
So
again
the
issue
exists,
but
the
issue
is
much
more
targeted
and
much
more
pain
pinpointed
than
than
it
is
in
a
lot
of
places.
So
I'm
gonna
present
the
as
an
executive
summary,
because
I
don't
think
that
we've
had
an
opportunity
of
sharing
the
results
of
the
CTC
study
with
the
council.
David
Talbot
is
here
to
answer
questions.
If,
if
the
question
is
good
hard,
though
I'll
just
pass
it
on
to
David,
so
here
are
the
key
findings
of
the
study.
First
Boston
does
not
block
Broadband
infrastructure.
F
If
you
live
in
the
city
of
Boston,
you
can
request
service
from
multiple
service
providers
that
are
able
to
provide
a
high-speed,
affordable
network
connectivity.
All
of
the
providers
that
are
within
the
city
support
the
affordable
connectivity
program,
so
you're
able
to
enroll
and
get
the
the
federal
subsidy.
F
The
latest
incomer
to
the
city
was
Verizon
which
started
their
fiber,
build
that
in
the
past
seven
years
or
so
since
they
started
the
build
out
of
the
fiber
and
the
south
side
of
the
city,
including
starting
to
address
some
of
the
areas
that
had
the
lowest
income,
highest
affordability,
gaps,
they're,
still,
building
the
network
and
now
they're
building
the
network
in
downtown
in
these
parts.
But
for
the
most
part,
every
address
in
the
city
has
the
ability
of
getting
connected
through
multiple
providers.
F
F
That
being
said,
we
know-
and
we
have
heard
from
the
community
and
from
you
that
there
are
some
people
that
experience
different
quality
services
and
we
have
some
hypothesis
around
what
that
is.
But
at
this
point
it's
not
clear
and
we
don't
believe
that
it
is
the
cause
of
the
isps
the
internet
service
providers.
F
These
are
some
of
the
high
level
metrics
that
at
the
time
that
the
study
came
out
around
things
that
we
had
been
doing
to
increase
connectivity,
including
participation
in
the
affordable
connectivity
program
that
we've
talked
was
funded
by
the
infrastructure
and
jobs
act.
At
the
time
we
had
29
000
households
I'm
happy
to
report
that
now
the
number
exceeds
33
000
households,
there's
about
13
000
devices
that
were
provided
through
the
emergency
connectivity
fund
and
Senator
Markey
and
other
members
of
our
of
our
Congressional
delegations
have
been
really
key
in
helping
support.
F
The
funding
for
for
these
programs
at
the
federal
level
of
the
city,
funded,
Internet,
Essentials
hot
spots,
long
story
short,
we've
been
doing
a
lot
of
work,
and
this
is
not
work.
That's
just
been
happening
over
the
past
year,
but
work
that
has
been
going
since
before
the
pandemic
throughout
the
pandemic,
and
now
after
the
pandemic
to
support
our
residence.
F
F
We
need
the
council's
help
and
we
need
the
community's
help
in
bringing
awareness
around
affordable
connectivity
program
and
making
sure
that
people
enroll,
there's
particular
gaps
with
the
Hispanic
community
and
other
members
of
the
community
that
tend
to
have
a
higher
distrust
of
government,
have
higher
barriers
around
language
and
and
we
need
your
help
to
make
sure
that
people
are
leveraging
these
this
great
resources
so
getting
to.
Maybe
the
one
of
the
more
interesting
pieces
of
the
analysis.
There's
a
lot
of
conversations
around.
F
Should
the
city
provide
a
municipal
fiber
option,
should
the
city
get
into
the
business
of
being
an
internet
service
provider,
and
at
this
point
this
is
the
technical
assessment
that
just
give
you
the
bottom
line.
We
don't
believe
that
having
a
municipal
option
is
the
most
cost
effective
way
of
addressing
the
gaps
that
we
have
for
a
number
of
reasons.
One
it's
an
expensive
proposition,
two
that
cost
about
a
billion
dollars,
and
this
is
just
a
high
level
number
there's
more
details
that
we
need
to
come
before.
F
F
No,
the
the
funding
that
is
available
through
the
federal
government
would
not
necessarily
cover
some
of
these
some
of
these
projects,
because
the
legibility
for
the
fiber
build
out
is
dependent
on
those
residents,
not
having
any
other
alternative,
so
we
would
have
to.
We
wouldn't
be
able
to
use
some
of
the
federal
funding
that's
available,
so
we
know
that
they're
still
that
there's
still
a
gap
that
there's
a
need
to
address
affordability,
service
and
some
of
the
other
complex
issues.
F
F
Some
of
the
findings
of
the
study
are
not
be
glad
to
as
we
go
in
depth
into
some
of
the
activities
that
we've
done.
I
think
that
we've
been
doing
almost
all
of
the
recommendations,
since
the
report
came
out
in
September
pretty
well,
so
we
continue
to
work
very
adamantly
to
increase
enrollment
in
the
affordable
connectivity
program.
F
F
We
work
very
closely
and
we're
very
grateful
for
the
support
from
the
Massachusetts
Broadband
Institute
and
from
the
Mass
Tech
collaborative
and
the
the
Commonwealth
and
the
support
for
the
city
and
we'll
we
can
share
a
little
bit
about
that
work
as
well.
We
work
very
closely
with
community-based
organizations
who
have
deep
relationships
and
in
many
cases,
are
these
communities
that
are
underserved
and
they
give
us
their
time
and
they
give
us
insights
around
like
what.
F
What
are
the
real
issues
that
that
our
residents
are
encountering
continue
to
promote
participation
in
existing
device,
subsidy
programs
and.
F
We
continue
to
report
progress
and
that's
partially.
What
we're
doing
here
is
sharing
with
you
all
the
the
where
we
are
and
what
still
needs
to
be
done
just
wanted
to
put
a
little
bit
in
context,
some
of
the
some
of
the
Investments
and
the
things
that
are
in
the
pipeline
and
and
things
that
we've
already
taken
action
on.
So
during
the
pandemic,
a
lot
of
investment,
including
12
million
dollars
from
the
emergency
connectivity
funding
to
be
able
to
provide
devices
through
BHA
through
the
BPL
and
BPS
supporting
about
13
000
residents.
F
F
F
F
F
It
is
an
incredible
amount
of
funding
and
we
need.
We
need
to
continue
to
expand
the
enrollment,
because
it
means
that
low-income
residents
are
going
to
be
able
to
have
free
internet
there's
device
subsidies
and
we
need
to
be
able
to
get
more
people
that
deserve
and
that
need
this
help
to
be
able
to
to
leverage
it,
and
we
will
also
need
your
help
in
working
with
our
federal
Partners
to
make
sure
that
the
funding
gets
renewed
once
the
there's
a
finite
amount
of
funding
that
was
allocated
for
this
program.
F
So
it's
a
it's
incredible
in
addition
to
that,
these
are
funding
that
we've
requested
that
we
haven't
received.
But
we
again
we
work
very
closely
with
the
state.
We
have
about
five
million
dollars
that
we've
requested
for
Partnerships,
that
include
Partnerships
around
telemedicine,
affordable
housing,
working
with
elderly
adults
and
with
other
groups
that
benefit
from
this,
and
we
have
also
requested
about
six
hundred
thousand
dollars
in
planning
to
support
both.
F
How
can
we
measure
the
digital
divide
more
currently
not
having
to
wait
five
years
for
the
data
to
come
out
and
also
in
a
way
that
is
much
more
targeted
around,
which
are
the
pieces
that
are
missing
is:
are
people
not
getting
connected
because
they
are
they?
They
believe
that
it
is
unaffordable.
Is
it
because
they
don't
have
the
right
device?
Is
it
because
they
feel
unsafe?
F
So
we'll
focus
on
strategies
and
I'll
pass
a
along
the
presentation
to
to
our
partners
here,
but
I
wanted
to
share
one
piece
that
is
really
exciting
and
dear
to
my
heart,
which
is
this
year.
We've
started
building
a
governance
process
and
a
governance
structure
for
the
department,
and
it
implies
working
closely
with
our
internal
departments
and
agencies.
But
one
of
the
things
that
we
focus
on
is
creating
this
Community
Technology
Coalition,
where
we
invited
Community
Based
organizations.
F
F
There's
a
couple
of
strategies,
particularly
when
it
comes
to
digital
Equity,
that
we
have
been
working
on
the
first
one
is
enrolling
residents
in
ACP,
as
we
mentioned,
the
ability,
the
level
of
funding
and
the
availability
of
resources
that
ACP
brings
is
not
it's
it's
hard
to
compare
with
anything
that
the
city
or
the
state
would
be
able
to
do,
and
it
allows
people
to
get
about
30
dollars
per
month,
subsidy
which,
for
a
lot
of
tiers
of
connectivity,
including
Heist.
All
of
these
are
Broadband
rated
Services.
F
F
There
are
some
challenges:
it
still
takes
a
fair
amount
of
work
for
people
to
get
enrolled,
there's
a
two-step
process,
and
it
involves
interacting
with
the
federal
government
and
then
with
the
with
the
isps
there's
also
as
we
mentioned
issues
when
it
comes
to
trust
and
when
it
comes
to
accessibility
of
some
people
that
might
have
a
harder
time
accessing
the
the
services.
F
So
the
next
level
in
the
next
strategy
is
one
that
is
really
exciting
and
you'll
hear
from
both
BHA
and
from
Urban
Edge.
About
different
ways
in
which
we've
been
tackling
again,
we
believe
that
there's
opportunities
in
the
how
to
bring
the
service
high
quality
service
from
the
street
to
the
unit
and
there's
a
number
of
a
number
of
actions
that
we're
taking
in
that
regard,
including
doing
the
facilities
assessment
that
we
mentioned
to
you.
F
There's
work.
That's
been
that
you
funded
in
helping
us
bring
Bonet
to
the
BHA
buildings.
F
One
piece
that
I
would
call,
for
instance,
as
well,
is
we
think
that
the
same
way
that
competition
and
the
same
way
that
our
infrastructure
in
the
right-of-way
has
helped
kept
prices,
low
and
quality
High?
We
need
to
be
working
on
improving
accessibility
to
the
unit
and
one
area
where
there's
a
barrier
where
we
would
also
like
to
ask
the
council
for
help.
Is
we've
talked
with
Verizon
about
this,
and
we've
talked
with
others
getting,
especially
for
people
that
live
in
multi-dwelling
units.
F
Getting
axes
from
the
ISP
or
through
some
alternative
mean
to
the
unit
is
a
challenge.
So,
even
though
an
ISP
or
affordable
housing
operator
would
be
willing
to
bring
Internet
to
the
unit,
sometimes
the
the
property
owner
will
not
allow
that,
and
that
is
a
challenge
that
we
need
to
figure
out
how
to
to
drive
forward.
But
again,
so
we've
been
that
middle
bucket
is
around
different
things
that
we
can
do
to
try
to
bring
December
I.
F
F
The
last
strategy
which
we
won't
talk
too
much
about
today,
is
the
notion
of
expanding
free
Wi-Fi
are
wicked
free
Wi-Fi
again.
We
think
that
there's
an
opportunity
of
connecting
Transit
hubs
connecting
public
spaces.
We
believe
that
it
is
a
supplement.
The
free
Wi-Fi
is
not
a
competition,
it
is
not
a
replacement
for
having
internet
at
home.
I.
Don't
think
that
people
are
going
to
write
the
Next
Great
American
novel
standing
by
a
street
corner
with
their
laptop.
G
Thank
you
very
much
Santi.
Can
everyone
hear
me
and.
A
I'll
take
this
moment
to
both
say
that
we
are
joined
by
a
council
president
Flynn
who's,
our
district,
2,
City,
councilor,
and
also
a
co-sponsor
on
this
and
to
say
that
Peter
is
another
city
council
alum.
So
we
we
are
proud
to
have
you
back
here
sitting
at
in
the
hot
seat,
and
the
same
goes
for
Joel
wool,
who
will
be
hearing
from
in
a
minute,
so
lots
of
great
alumni
today,
Peter
go
ahead.
G
Thank
you.
You
can't
get
rid
of
me
that
easily
no,
but
what's
been
amazing,
is
that
you
know
coming
from
the
the
city
council
background,
you
really
develop
strong
ties
to
the
community,
especially
you
know
being
born
and
raised
here.
You
know
and
and
working
with
Community
groups
and
is
knowing
how
active
neighborhood
associations
are
in
this
community
work.
It's
really
helped
with
ACP,
Outreach
and
enrollment
for
a
variety
of
reasons.
G
G
You
know
challenging
and
and
discouraging
at
times,
and
so
basically
coming
at
it
from
like
I,
don't
know
the
human,
a
human
are
you
taking
a
human
approach
to
this,
has
really
made
it
that
much
easier
to
get
folks
involved
and
enrolled
and
utilizing
resources
that
already
exist,
such
as
community-based
organizations,
City
departments
who
have
specific
ties
to
different
populations
who
are
eligible
for
the
ACP
and
so
on,
but
just
to
kind
of
talk
a
little
bit
about
the
program
itself.
G
As
Santi
mentioned,
it's
a
30
a
month
internet
subsidy
program,
14.2
billion
dollars
were
invested
in
it
at
the
get-go,
the
end
of
2021,
and
it
should
be
around
for
at
least
ideally
through
2024,
and
that's
why
you
know
part
of
the
the
reason
why
we're
here
is
also
just
to
help
advocate
for
more
funding
to
be
put
into
it
from
the
front
at
the
federal
level,
but
several
they're
a
wide
range
of
criteria
for
folks
to
you
know
in
order
to
be
eligible
for
this.
G
So,
like
you
you're
looking
at
folks
who
receive
SNAP
benefits,
WIC
supplemental
security
income,
if
you're
a
veteran,
you
have
a
veterans
pension
you're
eligible
for
this.
If
you
go
to
a
school
that
offers
free
or
do
school
lunch
or
breakfast
so
pretty
much
if
I'm,
correct,
I,
repeat:
Boston
Public
School
family
is
eligible
for
this,
so
you
don't
it's
not
always
tied
toward
to
income
or
age
or
anything
like
that.
You
could
be
fairly
wealthy
and
still
be
able
to
enroll
in
this
program.
G
But
the
point
is
we
are
trying
to
get
as
many
folks
enrolled.
However,
we
possibly
can-
and
as
you
can,
you
can
see
in
in
some
of
the
pictures
there
we've
been
I've
been
able
to
do
it
in
kind
of
like
I've
been
trying
to
be
as
creative
with
the
approaches
possible.
We
know.
There's
no
one-size-fits-all
approach,
especially
when
you're
working
with
different
communities
and
so
getting
out
to
the
getting
out
into
the
community
has
been
terrific.
It's
one
of
my
favorite
parts
of
this
job
is,
you
know,
hosting
ACP
sign
up
events.
G
That's
the
very
first
one
was
the
Prince
Hall
Grand
Lodge
in
in
Grove
Hall,
which
was
one
of
our
digital
Equity
Fund
recipients
helped
set
that
one
up,
but
it's
it's
it's
just
it's
very
I,
don't
know
it's
very
rewarding
just
kind
of
getting
to
engage
with
the
with
residents
and
that
at
that
at
that
level,
just
because
you
know
you
have
to
answer
questions
from
folks
and
you
get
to,
you
know,
really
get
to
know
the
people
who
you're
working
with-
and
you
know
in
terms
of
kind
of
spreading
the
word
about
these
programs
about
this
program.
G
We've
also
taken
a
very
creative
approach.
You
know,
not
only
have
we
been,
you
know
trying
to
advertise
this
on
social
media,
digital
and
printed
ads
around
the
city,
blurbs
and
newsletters.
You
know
across
different
departments
for
the
city,
you
have
a
lot
of
you
know,
like
I
said
we
don't
want
to
recreate
the
wheel
and
so
we're
working
with
a
lot
of,
like
you
know:
Veterans
Services
age,
strong,
Housing,
Authority,
BPS
and
the
family
Liaisons.
G
To
get
all
this
information
out
to
the
folks
who
who
are
in
need
of
of
it
and
so
I
as
you
can
and
kind
of
just
like
looking
at
enrollment
over
the
past
couple
couple
years,
we've
seen
a
solid
increase
and
just
to
kind
of
touch
upon
a
section
where
it
kind
of
looks
like
it
kind
of
dips
down
a
little
bit
and
because
Asante
mentioned
this
program
is
a
little
bit
nuanced
in
a
sense,
because
you
know
there's
after
you're
enrolled
in
it
for
about
a
year,
you
do
have
to
re-certify
that
you're
still
eligible
and
I.
G
My
hypothesis
is
that
some
folks
are
either
didn't.
You
know
know
to
do
that
or
were
had
trouble
doing
that,
but
anywho
we're
really.
You
know.
As
Santi
mentioned,
we
just
received
250
000
to
expand
our
Outreach
efforts.
This
will
include
money
going
towards
folks
who
are
on
the
ground
with
myself
and
they're
oftentimes
referred
to
as
digital
Navigators.
G
Furthermore,
just
more
marketing
materials,
more
devices
that
we
can
use
to
get
folks
enrolled
and
what's
been,
terrific-
is
that
you
know
at
these
events
and
and
meetings
that
I've
had
folks
from
Comcast
Verizon
sitting
right
behind
me
have
been
very
gracious
to
come
out
and
help
streamline
the
enrollment
process
and
make
that
you
know
a
30
40
minute
application
process
that
much
easier,
because
you
know
it's
not
too
much.
It
is
a
two-step
process
and
so
anything
that
we
can
do
to
help
our
residents
get
enrolled
and
start
saving
the
money
faster.
G
We're
going
to
try
to
do
that,
and
so
very
very
thankful
for
our
internet
provider
Partners
over
the
past
couple
over
the
past
year,
what
else
and
then
yeah
and
so
just
kind
of
I
guess
we
can
go
to
the
next
slide,
yeah
and
so
yeah.
So
as
you
can
see
that
we
we
do
have
like
a
little
breakdown
of
where
we
get
monthly
updates
about.
G
You
know
ACP
enrollment
across
the
city
from
the
the
federal
government
and
it's
it's
terrific,
because
you
know
you're
able
to
see
by
ZIP
code
how
many
residents
are
currently
enrolled
and
if
it,
if
you're
wondering
why
it
only
goes
up
through
January
or
2023.
It's
mainly
because
by
the
time
the
the
providers
kind
of
confirm
folks
are
enrolled
in
receiving
the
benefit.
It's
usually
there's
like
a
little
two
month,
two
month,
delay.
G
I,
don't
really
know
about
any
the
the
thing
that
has
been
tough
and
and
one
thing
that
we've
been
we've
been
doing
is
working.
You
know
to
try
to
advocate
for
more
granular
data,
just
to
help
ourselves
and
help
kind
of
tailor
our
efforts
and
find
out
how
the
best
ways
people
are.
You
know
enrolling
in
this
particular
program,
whether
it's
through
Snap,
whether
it's
through
WIC-
and
you
know
it's
things
because
Asante
mentioned,
we
know
how
many
folks
are
living
in
public
housing.
G
We
know
how
many
folks,
you
know,
are
enrolled
in
the
affordable
connectivity
program,
but
we
can't
tell
how
many
folks
living
in
public
housing
are
enrolled
in
the
ACP
which
which
is
tough,
and
so
we
really
only
have
high
level
data,
but
you
know
we're
trying
to
do
as
whatever
we
can
to
kind
of
increase
enrollment,
and
you
know
more
money
and
more
more
human
power
in
providing
that
human
approach
and
and
really
you
know,
taking
the
time
to
work
with
residents
getting
to
know
them
is
something
that
you
know
we're
going
to
continue
to
do
and
that's
something
that
I
I
truly
do
enjoy.
G
Is
you
know,
spending
time
on
the
phone
if
I
have
to
you
know,
take
a
half
hour
and
work
of
like
a
conference
call
with
a
resident
and
the
internet
service
provider
more
than
happy
to
do
it
and
I
love
doing
that?
You
know
just
sitting
down
with
someone
getting
to
know
them
first
and
foremost,
before
we
start
going
through
this
program
with
them
and
just
kind
of
really
really
meet
people
where
they
are
and
bring
City
Hall.
G
As
mayor
Wu
always
talks
about
bringing
City
Hall
to
the
community,
and
so
you
know,
we
look
forward
to
more
work,
there's
more
work
to
be
done
and
we
hope
to
get
as
many
folks
enrolled
in
this
program
as
we
possibly
can
and.
F
F
H
Good
morning,
everyone-
and,
as
stated
earlier,
my
name,
is
Emilio-
is
Emilio
dorsley
and
I'm,
the
CEO
of
urban
Edge,
a
non-profit
organization
located
in
Roxbury.
You
know
we
own
more
than
400.
Excuse
me:
1
400,
affordable
rental
homes.
H
Most
of
them
are
concentrated
in
The,
Simpsons
tracks
and
neighborhoods
that
you
just
heard
when
we
reviewed
the
report,
but
we're
especially
going
to
talk
a
little
bit
more
about
the
corridor
that
connects
Jackson
and
engleston
square
Network,
calling
the
Columbus
Corridor,
because
that's
where
we
targeted
some
of
the
work
around
trying
to
close
the
digital
Equity
Gap.
H
So
the
work
that
we
began
to
do
around
the
digital
divide
really
came
to
the
Forefront.
You
know
you
know,
with
covid
and
and
kids
were
remote
learning,
so
we
partnered
with
the
Eggleston
YMCA
to
create
a
learning
lab
so
that
young
people
could
do
remote
learning
in
a
supportive
environment
where
we
had
about
10
young
people
a
day
who
attended
school
at
Eggleston
because
they
were
not
able
to
get
sufficient
connectivity
at
home.
H
So
when
the
pandemic
hit,
it
really
highlighted
the
need
for
us
to
go
a
little
bit
deeper
and
so
and
although
some
of
our
newer
buildings,
we
were
able
to
have
them
wired
for
fiber
and
use
wireless
routers
to
provide
free
internet
service
for
the
residents
in
that
particular
building.
But
in
some
instances
what
we
found
was
that
the
signals
were
not
strong
enough,
especially
when
families
had
many
people
online.
At
the
same
time,.
H
One
of
the
things
that
we
did
is
that
we
took
an
additional
step
by
pairing,
each
Elder,
with
a
nearby
young
person
who
was
also
trained
so
that
if
the
elders
got
stuck
and
needed,
some
support
using
their
devices
that
there
was
someone
nearby
that
could
help
and
support
them.
H
So,
during
that
same
time,
you
know
we
were
able
to
meet
with
mapc,
who
has
been
doing
a
lot
of
digital
work
throughout
the
state,
and
so
we
reached
out
to
them
and
because
we
wanted
to
get
a
better
understanding
of
what
the
actual
digital
needs
in
our
Target
communities
work
in
many
ways,
some
of
the
things
that
were
talked
about
in
the
city's
report.
We
were
able
to
do
similar
things,
but
on
a
much
more
targeted
and
focused
around
that
area
between
Eggleston
and
Jackson
Square.
H
But
you
know
before
we
actually,
you
know
have,
will
Pfeiffer
talk
a
little
bit
more
about
the
outcomes
and
results
of
the
report
and
some
of
the
next
stages.
You
know
I
really
want
to
touch
gold,
you
know
touch
a
couple
of
the
goals
was
really
about
Community
engagement,
I
think,
is
something
that's
so
important
when
we
started
this
idea
of
trying
to
one
find
out
what
were
the
needs
of
the
community
around
connectivity
and
what
and
how
could
we
actually
begin
to
propose
some
ideas
of
how
to
address
that?
H
We
knew
it
was
important
to
establish
a
group
of
stakeholders,
residents,
neighborhood
agencies,
Boston
main
streets,
I.T
experts,
the
BHA
and
other
thought
leaders
to
help
us
gather
the
info,
but
also
to
get
their
feedback,
because
I
think
it
was
said
earlier
that
this
is
not
just
about
a
technology
problem.
It's
about
really
understanding
and
engaging
engaging
community
in
a
way
so
that
they're
part
of
the
solution
and
whatever
is
built,
is
built
with
their
input
in
mind.
H
So
we
also
had
organizations
like
JVS
youth
build,
and
you
know
and
RCC,
because
we
understood
the
connectivity
issue
is
something
that
goes
across
multiple
disciplines
and
multiple
areas
that
are
important
to
many
many
people.
For
instance,
when
you
think
about
JVS,
you
think
about
well
gosh.
How
are
people
able
to
apply
for
jobs?
Are
they
able
to?
H
You
know,
do
trainings
remotely,
and
this
is
mostly
doing
you
know
covet
and
obviously
we
all
know
people
use
their
mobile
phones,
but
we're
still
not
at
a
stage
where
all
websites
and
all
operations
are
functional
via
a
mobile
phone.
And
then
we
still
know
that
there
are
some
neighborhoods
I
hear
my
staff
all
the
time
who
live
in
Dorchester
talk
about
how
sometimes
you
know
their
ability
to
even
use
their
mobile
phones
can
be
somewhat
challenging.
H
So
when
we
did
the
you
know,
when
we
completed
the
report
with
mapc,
we
really
learned
a
lot
and
really
just
reinforce
what
you
heard
earlier,
where
a
significant
number
of
individuals
said
that
they
were
not
connected
to
the
internet
at
all.
We
found
that,
in
particular,
seniors
said
that
they
were
not
connected
and
the
number
one
reason
really
revolved
around
cost.
H
Where
people
fought,
you
know
felt
that
there
wasn't
too
many.
You
know
affordable
options
now
the
ACP
is
definitely
one
option
and
that's
something
that,
as
an
organization
that
we're
committed
to
trying
to
get
more
people
signed
up.
But
the
challenge,
as
may
have
been
said
earlier,
is
that
it
is
a
onerous
process
and
it
does
require
sometimes
for
people
to
receive
a
lot
of
help
in
order
for
them
to
be
able
to
complete
the
entire
process.
H
B
F
This
is
a
picture
from
a
visit
and
you.
This
is
how
you
know
that
the
community
aspect
that
we
emphasize
you
can't
fake
it.
This
move
this
it's
a
picture
from
about
a
year
ago,
where
a
lot
of
the
people
that
are
here
were
working
together
on
a
visit
to
the
to
the
project
that
Amelia
mentioned.
So
it's
really
really
cool
a
few.
F
A
few
weeks
before
I
joined
the
city
too,
so
Joel
diona
share
a
little
bit
about
the
work
that
you've
been
doing
with
BHA
on
rewiring
and
working
with
with
with
the
residents
absolutely.
I
Thank
you,
members
of
the
council,
chair
Bach,
and
to
our
partners,
both
the
city
and
in
our
non-profits
and
Community
Development
partners
and
Regional
planner,
and
many
more
Joel
Willam,
the
chief
of
staff
at
the
BHA.
We
have
been
bha's,
been
working
on
digital
Equity
issues
for
quite
a
while
and
specifically
I
will
thank
my
colleague,
Lydia
Agro,
who
has
been
I,
think
a
long
time.
I
Public
Employee
working
with
people
like
Mike
Lynch,
who
we
are,
we
are
losing
from
the
city
service
right
on
on
issues
like
this,
as
well
as
with
private
partners
and
trying
to
expand
internet
access.
I
When
the
pandemic
struck,
administrator,
Kate
Bennett
really
set
a
direction
about
not
just
doing
things
to
protect
health
and
safety,
but
also
really
using
every
bit
of
federal
state
and
local
resources
possible
to
truly
reach
and
serve
BHA
residents.
So
that
included,
initiatives
on
you
know
things
like
food
access
which
are
not
typical
for
us
or
had
not
been,
but
also
redoubling
the
efforts
on
digital
equity.
As
you
heard,
this
included
wiring
17
Federal
sites
and
for
clarity,
that's
the
city
bringing
bonus,
so
it
can
come
to
that
property.
I
But
then
even
to
get
it
into
Community
spaces,
BHA
has
to
do
a
substantial
amount
or
Precure
a
substantial
amount
of
wiring
work.
So
we
were
able
to
do
that
at
17
sites.
There's
some
between
the
cares
act
and
Arco
funds,
as
well
as
a
state
year,
mark
that
we
thank
former
rep
elugardo
and
Senator
Collins,
for
we
have
some
additional
resources
to
start
doing
a
few
of
the
state's
properties
as
well
into
that
community.
That
sort
of
community
Wi-Fi.
That
is
not
in
unit.
But
it
is
in
your
home
right.
I
So
it
is
beginning
to
bridge
there
and,
in
addition
to
sort
of
like
a
meeting
room
space,
one
of
the
things
we've
been
doing
is
working
with
the
resident
task
forces
and
local
tenant
organizations,
and
so
whether
that's
served
through
a
Bonet
or
whether
it
had
a
community
benefit
provided
by
an
ISP.
I
We've
been
working
to
make
sure
that
all
residents
could
access
in
public
spaces
and
then,
through
the
the
sort
of
the
elected
resident
bodies
had
improved
access
so
that
they
could
meet
with
each
other
could
meet
with
the
BHA
could
meet
with
other
folks
and
could
do
other
sort
of
Resident
business.
If
you
will
and
we're
empowered
to
do
so.
With
a
mix
of
Internet
service,
the
space
and
the
devices
between
the
city
BHA
and
the
Boston
Public
Library
we
have
distributed
several
thousand
devices.
I
I
While
we'll
leave
paper
as
an
option
for
people
who
are
not
digitally
literate
or
don't
have
that
access,
but
some
some
of
the
particular
processes
around
I
think
customer
service
and
Emissions
are
vastly
improved
because
of
how
we've
been
able
to
organize
data
and
user
interface,
so
that
combined
with
the
internet,
access
for
residence
devices
and
digital
literacy
efforts,
I
think,
is
together
making
both
the
agency
work
better
and
the
population
that
we
house
and
serve
have
substantially
better
outcomes.
I
With
regards
to
digital
equity,
we
yeah
so
so
the
we've
been
engaging
in
both
device
distribution
at
BHA
sites,
as
well
as
digital
literacy
classes.
I
want
to
talk
a
little
bit
about
the
classes
for
a
moment
because
it
you
know
you
sort
of
Wonder
like
how
much.
How
are
we
going
to
measure?
How
would
we
know
like
what's?
What's
the
impact
of
this
I
mean
we
can
say
how
many
people
took
a
class
or
how
many
classes
were
offered,
but
what
does
it
mean?
I
But
so
you
know
we
had
one
example
the
other
day
where
a
woman
called
and
she
had.
She
had
tried
to
take
a
course
at
BPL,
which
was
a
wonderful
course
and
had
some.
She
had
some
combination,
I
think
of
mobility
and
parking
issues
was
no
longer
able
to
take
it.
She
got
sick
and
couldn't
take
a
different
course
that
she
wanted
to,
but
on
the
third
try
she
was
able
to
go
in
through
a
course
that
BHA
and
its
Partners
were
offering
and
had
started
getting
internet
access.
I
That
way
and
I
just
think.
The
way
that
we
persistently
offer
services,
especially
for
seniors,
especially
for
I,
think
groups
that
we
believe
statistically
may
have
lower
internet
access
rates
when
BHA
surveyed.
We
did
the
the
survey.
The
resident
survey
that
we
did
a
couple
years
ago,
so
I
think
2020
or
2021
did
suggest
that
Spanish-speaking
populations
had
a
lower
internet
rate
similar
and
seniors
broadly
within
our
population.
I
So
I,
don't
I,
don't
think
we
had
statistically
significant
information
on
other
demographic
groups,
but
that
to
me
says
that
the
efforts
around
seniors
and
senior
housing,
especially
where
we
have
targeted
aging
senior
access
point
resident
services,
makes
a
ton
of
sense
to
continue
that
to
redouble
that
I
think
you
know
we
have
a
lot
of
translation,
interpreters
and
services
that
are
in-house
in
addition
to
what
the
city
and
partners
provide,
but
I
think
that
continuing
to
offer
these
resources
in
multiple
forms
and
languages
is
really
important
and
perhaps
expanding
in
that
area
and
I
think
there's
there's
certainly
other
pieces.
I
I
do
think
we
need
to
get
to
every
the
Community
Access
and
every
building,
and
we
need
to
kind
of
explore
with
the
city
and
it's
more
detailed
than
really
how
Nano
can
do
with
regards
to
diversifying
what
we
could
help
residents
access
in
unit
the
sign
up
process
for
ACP,
so
ACP
is
a
significant
wonderful
resource.
The
sign
up
process
is
burdensome.
I
It
would
certainly
be
helpful
if
there
is
a
some
way
of
synchronizing
even
by
address
match.
You
know
who's
not
being
served,
so
we
could
Target
that
we
don't
beat
it
has.
I
No,
we
don't
have
any
data
whatsoever
on
on
that
kind
of
thing
other
than
how
many
people,
maybe
we
reached
at
a
given
event,
so
that
that
is
a
significant
Challenge
and
I
hope
that
we
can
make
some
progress
and
that
I
think
is
a
mix
of
creative
Partnerships
and
then
maybe
the
isps,
and
maybe
the
FCC
being
a
little
more
open
about
how
people
enroll
I,
think
that
is
actually
most
of
what
I
would
want
to
touch
upon.
I
I
would
say
that
you
know
we
have
a
core
Mission,
and
this
is
certainly
part
of
it
is
becoming
part
of
it.
But
it
is
we're
doing
this.
On
top
of
everything
else,
we
have
a
very,
very
limited
resident
services
staff.
I
We
hope
that,
as
we
get
agencies
taking
on
positions
like
this
digital
Navigators,
we're
hoping
we
can
sort
of
use
that
funding
to
catalyze
a
little
bit
just
how
much
face-to-face
contact
we
get
with
residents
if
we're
able
to
staff
up
at
all
through
some
of
these
outside
funding
sources,
our
resident
services,
then
we'll
not
just
be
offering
more
internet
access,
but
we're
going
to
have
more
touch
points
with
people
and
we
we
end
up.
We
end
up
just
getting
more
we're
a
better
Agency
for
it.
I
When
we
can
do
that
and
we're,
we
have
very
limited
funding
streams
to
to
offer
resident
services.
So
it's
something
that
we
are
thinking
about,
how
to
use
for
this
purpose,
but
also
creatively.
Anything
we
can
access
there
is
is
going
to
benefit
folks
tremendously.
So
that's
I
think
all
I
have.
A
Ethan,
can
we
get
to
the
next
slide?
There.
F
F
Let's
go
to
the
next
slide,
so
just
to
wrap
up
and
and
again,
Peter
can
probably
answer
questions
around
this.
But
the
we've
been
working
for
a
long
time
with
a
number
of
Community
Based
organizations
in
trying
to
bring
the
resources
to
the
communities
that
need
this.
The
most
and
working
with
tech
goes
home,
which
has
been
a
key
partner
of
the
city.
They
were
former
neighbors
of
do
it.
They
had
their
offices
in
in
this
building
and
and
in
the
space
of
the
department.
F
F
So
many
residents-
and
this
is
still
a
key
part
of
this
strategy
and
it's
drill
reference-
we've
been
working
as
a
city
and
as
a
department,
then
trying
to
broker
and
bring
other
resources
to
to
this
work
and
also
be
respectful,
because
we
know
that
affordable
housing
is
a
key
area
and
digital
Equity
is
just
an
aspect
and
we're
really
grateful
for
their
time
and
for
their
partnership
in
letting
us
be
respectful.
F
Knowing
that
they're
they're
the
cool
kids
they're
important
during
a
lot
of
really
important
work,
and
they
they're
also
highlighting
and
elevating
the
digital
Equity
work,
maybe
the
last
like
all
right,
I
just
wanted
to
synthesize
and
close
our
presentation
so
foremost.
F
Characteristics
that
are
also
markers
of
vulnerability
in
other,
in
other
ways
around
Health
disparities,
around
income
disparities,
but
obviously
it
impacts
people
that
have
lower
incomes,
people
that
have
disabilities
or
other
kind
of
impediments
that
they
would
have
in
in
interacting
with
with
government,
with
the
with
the
isps
or
with
others,
language
access,
particularly
Spanish.
This
might
be
language
and
culture,
and
also
immigration,
age
and
obviously
the
center
of
the
conversation,
whether
you're
living
in
an
income
restricted
housing
seems
to
have
a
big
relationship
with
your
experience
of
of
internet
and
digital
resources.
F
Acp
provides
an
unprecedented
level
of
support
and
affordability.
It's
a
great
program,
and
it
is
not
the
only
thing
that
we
think
that
we
should
be
doing
seeing
what
Emilio
and
what
Urban
Edge
is
pioneering
and
starting
to
think.
Let's
not
just
stop
at
the
answer
of
this
is
a
hard
problem.
Let's
keep
innovating
and
thinking.
F
How
is
it
that
we
can
bring
Wi-Fi
to
people
and
just
we'll
just
say
when
someone
moves
to
an
affordable
housing
unit,
let's
give
them
the
password
to
the
Wi-Fi
and
if
they
want
to
have
a
higher
level
of
service.
Let's
connect
them
with
an
ISP
with
affordable
connectivity
programs.
So,
let's,
let's
create
competition.
Let's
create
a
little
bit
more
availability
of
options
for
the
residents
and
some
low
friction
or
no
friction
options.
F
The
other
piece
is,
as
you
heard
from
our
partners,
a
very
holistic
approach.
How
is
it
that
we
bring
the
devices
the
training,
the
support
and
the
connectivity
to
people
where
they
are
seems
to
be
a
key
part
of
the
of
the
solution
that
we
need
to
bring,
and
we
need
help.
F
But
we
need
help
from
from
everyone,
and
we
need
help
from
the
council
help
us
to
continue
to
increase
enrollment,
to
bring
awareness
awareness
as
well
with
some
of
the
landlords
that
might
be
reluctant
to
allow
other
isps
or
to
the
make
sure
that
our
residents
are
getting
connected.
F
Secondly,
we
need
help
in
starting
to
Advocate
to
make
sure
that
this
great
benefit
does
not
run
out
and
that
it
gets
refunded
after
the
IJ
funding
the
14
billion
that
Peter
reference
Runs
Out
and
we
need
new
strategies,
new
tools.
We
need
to
continue
to
work
with
the
partners
that
we
that
we
have,
but
we
also
I.
That's
probably
why
we
we're
so
excited
to
see
Urban,
Edge
and
macp
and
and
all
these
groups
thinking
there's
new
ways
in
which
we
can
solve
this
problem.
A
Great,
thank
you
so
much
Chief
and
thanks
for
the
very
thorough
presentation
I
want
to
know
just
for
counselors
reference
that
we
do
have
a
second
panel
and
thank
you
for
their
patience
from
techo's
home
who's
been
mentioned
a
bit
and
then
both
Verizon
and
Comcast
you're
going
to
join
us
on
the
second
panel.
But
obviously
we
need
to
do
questions
for
this
panel.
A
First
I
also
wanted
to
give
a
shout
out
to
Glenn
Williams
who's
in
the
audience
from
BNN
and
is
tirelessly
working
to
get
information
out
to
our
communities
so
related
to
the
point
of
how
we
spread
the
word
about
ACP.
A
We
we're
also
joined
during
the
presentation
by
counselor
Ruthie,
Louis
Jen
at
large
and
and
I'm
gonna
I
mentioned.
We
were
joined
by
President
Flynn.
My
co-sponsor
on
this,
so
I'm
going
to
go
to
president
Flynn
first
for
his
opening
statement
and
questions
and
then
counselor
Mahia.
My
co-sponsor
I'll
go
through
colleagues
and
I'll
do
questions
at
the
end
myself,
so
counselor
Flynn.
J
This
is
a
critical
issue
of
equity
in
internet
access
is
an
essential
utility
for
all
of
us,
as
the
internet
is
becoming
increasingly
indispensable
to
Everyday
Life
as
evident
during
the
pandemic.
It
is
important
that
we
discuss
ways
to
make
sure
that
residents
have
access
to
affordable
internet
services
and
digital
resources.
J
Moreover,
working
class
families,
persons
with
disabilities,
immigrant
communities,
communities
of
college
seniors,
as
we
mentioned
disabled
veterans
as
well,
are
most
likely
to
have
issues
with
the
lack
of
Internet
access
and
knowledge
and
digital
skills.
We
need
to
ensure
these
residents
have
the
resources
they
need
to
use.